United We Stand
by mckeown
Summary: Megatron was a gladiatorial slave, why would he condone any type of slavery? The Cybertron War is more than it appears, but neither side has any inkling to the other's point-of-view until the yellow scout Bumblebee gets bot-napped. An innocent mission to find energon mounts into more than either side can handle alone, they must unite or fall. Rated T for dark parts. 68,000 HITS!
1. Ambush

**AN: First attempt at a Transformer fic, hope I've got it. **

Bumblebee whistled happily as he drove through West Virginia's mountain range. Ratchet had ground bridged him and Bulkhead to the small state in the early morning, letting both young 'bots enjoy the fog that covered the mountains. The sun's rays could barely break through the clouds so the day remained gray and filled with fog.

The computer back at the base had picked up faint energon energy emitting from West Virginia, not enough to be of interest to the _Nemesis_ but the Autobots certainly could use every drop they could find. Optimus had sent Bumblebee and Bulkhead to investigate and bring back what they could find. However, once they entered the mountain range Bumblebee and Bulkhead found that they could only communicate with each other via their short-range communications, all they got was static when they tried to connect with the base in Nevada.

"Must be the mountains, Bee," Bulkhead said, "maybe when we get out of this fog we can reach Ratchet again."

[**Yeah, maybe**,] Bumblebee beeped. [**Let's find that energon quickly though, it's not good to be without communication with the base.]**

"I agree, B, let's go."

The two Autobots navigated their way carefully through the fog, their headlights on full. They had to pull off the main road and transform when the energon signal lead into the trees.

{Back at Autobot Base}

"Any word yet, Ratchet?" Raf asked, standing on the platform reserved for the humans so that they were out of the way but could also see what was happening. Jack and Miko were playing a video game, glancing over at him before they returned to the TV.

"Not yet, Rafael," Ratchet said, "but I'm not worried. The mountains of West Virginia are not known for their great communication service. Of course, if I had more state-of-the-art equipment, like we had back on Cybertron, it wouldn't be an issue."

"Ratchet," Optimus Prime turned from where he had been talking to Arcee, "we all appreciate your tremendous efforts in everything you have managed to do since we came to Earth. We certainly do not hold a faulty communication line against you."

"Hmph!" Ratchet turned back to his computer, making it look like he was tinkering the systems but really there was nothing more he could do. Ratchet hated not being to keep tabs on his team, the need for energon had made it necessary to disable the two Autobots' signals so that the _Nemesis_ would not be able to pick them up.

While it had been a necessary move Ratchet just hoped that it would not come back to haunt him.

{West Virginia}

The two Autobots had neared the energon signal and were both containing themselves from dancing with joy. Soon, very soon, they would have fuel again.

"Alright, B!" Bulkhead said, his grin conveying his happiness. "We're almost on top of the energon."

Bumblebee chirped happily and then glanced quickly to the left, thinking he saw something. Of course it was next to impossible to see through the fog but just for a moment he thought… [**Bulkhead**—]

A blast of blue electricity spread out towards them, so quickly that neither 'bot had time to run. Bumblebee watched in alarm as his systems froze up and Bulkhead yelled out "EMP!" before the large Autobot fell to the forest floor. Bumblebee followed his partner, his systems off-lining and just before his optics closed he heard, "Take the smaller one, he'll be easier to transport,", then darkness claimed him as his body was forced to shut down.

**AN: Oh no! Who did this? Why do they want Bumblebee? Review and let me know what you think!**


	2. From Bumble to Sting

**Chapter Summary: In which Bumblebee loses his frame, the Autobots are afraid and the Decepticons try not to be nosy**

Everyone at the Autobot base sighed with relief when they heard Bulkhead's communication signal come through. A pleasant feeling that was, however, short-lived.

"_Ratchet! Ratchet! Bee's gone, some kind of power surge, an EMP I think, knocked us both out and when I came to he was gone_!"

"Calm down, Bulkhead," Ratchet ordered. "Talk to me, what happened? Did you find the energon? Where's Bumblebee?"

The human children had abandoned their video game when they heard Bulkhead's panicked voice, now they stood by the railing, watching with big eyes. Raf was trying his best not to scream at Ratchet to get answers quick, Bumblebee was his guardian and closest friend, and the last time the yellow Autobot had been hurt it had been a hard time for both of them.

"_There is no energon! An EM pulse knocked us both out! Bumblebee is gone_!"

"Ratchet," Optimus stepped forward, "fire up the ground bridge. Arcee, you're coming with me."

"We get to come too, right?" Miko asked, already heading for the stairs.

"If any of you children so much as move off that platform I will glue you to the ceiling!" Ratchet snapped, his words making the humans and other Autobots freeze.

Miko held up her hands as she backed up, "Hey, hey, it's cool Ratch." She quickly ducked behind Jack's taller frame while Raf took hold of the railing to clearly show that he was not moving.

"Just find Bumblebee," the little boy said and Arcee smiled at him as she followed Optimus through the ground bridge.

{Bridge of the _Nemesis_}

Soundwave tilted his battle mask as he watched the data streams on the view screen. Another spike indicating ground bridge activity on the planet Earth, following the same projectile line as the first one several hours ago. Soundwave downloaded the data and then cross-referenced it, wondering if he should bring it to Lord Megatron's attention.

When the Intelligence Officer had first brought the ground bridge activity to Megatron, the Decepticon leader had told him to monitor the situation only. The energon deposit was very small, certainly not enough to entice the large armada of the Decepticons (who already had sufficient energon stored away), so Megatron did not begrudge a few gallons of the stuff to Prime's rag-tail crew. Certainly low fuel would reduce the Autobots' fighting stamina, and Megatron did so love a good battle.

Soundwave calculated the situation and filed it away. If the ground bridge was the Autobots going back to their base then it would be pointless bringing it to Megatron's attention, wherever the Prime had his soldiers stationed was heavily shielded. However, Soundwave could not just let it go, there had been too many strange occurrences for him to do so.

First, there had been the lack of communication. The Autobots were a fairly chatty type, seeming to always have the need to talk with one another, but the little state of West Virginia had been silent. He had calculated the odds of interference from the mountain range but then had dismissed it; the superior sensors of the _Nemesis_ would have been able to pick up any radio length, even if it was full of static it would still register. Then he had picked up a signal, someone sending a message to an unknown location from the little state, his processor was currently hacking through the encryption codes that had been shoddily applied to the message. Analysis: Message sent in state of panic. The last puzzling thing was that the energon signal had disappeared sometime before the message had been sent. Conclusion: Still processing.

A ping alerted him to the message being deciphered. Soundwave played it through his inner audios before spinning quickly to where Megatron stood on the top platform of the bridge.

"Yes, Soundwave, what is it?"

Soundwave activated the screen on his battle mask, to show Megatron the stream of events. Beginning with the energon signal, the ground bridge activity, the disappearance of the energon signal, the message and then the second ground bridge.

"So, the yellow scout has disappeared." Megatron frowned, "None of my forces were involved in this so there is a third player. Starscream? Arachnid?"

Soundwave brought up the file on Breakdown, singling out the part of his capture by MECH.

"If the Autobot scout was taken by humans than that is Prime's problem, watching the noble Autobots fight the puny humans shall certainly be entertaining, if nothing else." Soundwave turned to leave. "Soundwave, monitor the situation and keep me apprised of any developments, no matter how insignificant they may look." Soundwave nodded and left, Megatron turned to look at the view screens, "There may be more going on than any of us realize."

{Location: Unknown} — **AN: Well, known to me anyway, not to you **

Bumblebee on-lined but kept his optics shuttered as he groaned in pain. His systems tingled, kind of like that 'pins and needles' feeling Raf had described to him. He quickly ran a self-diagnostic, wanting to know what the damage was before he thought of moving.

**Energon Levels**: Medium.

**Nervous System**: Recovering from EMP.

**All Plating**: Intact.

**Wiring**: Intact.

**Medical Port**: Open.

Bumblebee froze and felt out through his systems, his medical port was open and every command to close it went ignored. The medical port was located at the back of Bumblebee's head, sequestered right above his neck joints. He trembled, the medical port was only accessed when a medic needed to run an inner diagnosis of a wounded mech's or femme's systems, but since he could not feel any diagnosis running Bumblebee doubted Ratchet was giving him a check-up. The only other time a medical port would be accessed was for a cortical psychic patch, that the Decepticons favored to use when searching for information, but again he could not feel an alien presence in his frame nor was any cable connected to the port. So then, why was it open? A glitch, perhaps? If it was then that was embarrassing, there was no way Bulkhead would let this slide.

Bulkhead. Yes, Bulkhead, where was he?

Bumblebee opened his optics and realized he was facing down on what might be a medical berth, but one he did not recognize. Tilting his helm slowly to the right Bumblebee took the dark, rusted colored metal work around him in confusion. He was not in the medbay back at base, and he was sure he was not in the _Nemesis_ either, the color scheme of the whole ship was dark blue and purple he was sure. So, then where was he?

"He's active." The strange voice came from his left and Bumblebee turned to see many humans, dressed in black rubber suits, watching him. Kind of like how he had watched that trail of ants the other day as they carried food back to their hill.

"Very good, commence the procedure." Bumblebee tilted his helm back quickly, his spark sinking as he saw Silas standing on a platform above him.

Movement from above Silas brought Bumblebee's attention to the cable moving towards him, the large, pointed end being steered towards his helm. Then, with more clarity than he would ever want, he realized why his medical port was open and he beeped and whirled angrily at the humans while he strained at the metal bonds holding him.

"Ignore him," Silas said, as some of the other humans looked concerned at the thrashing Autobot. "Continue."

Bumblebee gave up trying to talk to the humans, they could not understand anyway, and just watched in dread as the cable continued to come down towards him. A man stepped forward and jabbed Bumblebee's side with a metal staff, that sent an electric shock ringing through the small Autobot's already frayed nervous system. Bumblebee cried out and stilled, and that was then the cable was let down quickly. It scratched the plating and the sensitive wiring to the side of the medical port, scarring the intricate neck joints. Bumblebee screamed, his processor overloading in pain as the cable was rammed down again and again, each time failing to enter his port straight. The back of his helm was horribly scarred now, the outer edges of the medical port were stripped, energon leaked out and Bumblebee forced himself to keep still, being in too much to fight and too afraid of how much more the humans would physically damage.

Finally the cable's spike was lined directly into the 'bot's medical port and Bumblebee quickly felt the surge from the cable going through him. His systems blared in alarm, firewalls springing up to stop the incoming code that was being downloaded against his will. For a brief minute he hoped that his natural defenses would keep the virus out, something made by humans could certainly not destroy him. However, with growing dread, Bumblebee watched his firewalls crumble in disbelief, the downloaded code spread with the fury of a horde of scraplets but destroying his security systems was not the only thing it was doing.

While the alien code forced its way through his systems, Bumblebee felt the control of his limbs slip away from him. His consciousness was being pushed back, a cage descending around him, and he acted quickly. They had shamed him, taken away his dignity and now his freedom, he had to preserve what privacy remained to him.

The humans jumped back as the yellow scout's battle mask snapped down into place, the release coding being locked to a medic's key only. Bumblebee had just enough energy to feel satisfaction at hiding his face when he felt the virus build the wall between himself and his body.

"Welcome to MECH, Stingray."


	3. The Scout's Nightmare part 1

{MECH H.Q.}

"Release the restraints," Silas ordered and Bumblebee saw the metal clasps detach from where they had pinned down his arms, legs and torso. He wanted to jump up and bring his blasters out to blow this place to pieces, but nothing happened. He was surprised that he could warble his distress but a snapped "Silence!" from Silas made him, and everyone else in the room, go silent.

"You will not speak, or make any of those noises you were making. Silence is a good virtue of a soldier; one who does not question orders but merely obeys instantly. Stand up." Bumblebee was horrified when his legs swung over the side and he pushed himself up. "Your designation is Stingray, you will respond to no other name. You are a machine, programmed to do my bidding, you will only take orders from me. Acknowledge with a salute." Without the 'bot's permission his right arm snapped up to salute Silas. "Very good." Silas tilted his head, his eyes running up and down Bumblebee's frame, causing the Autobot to shudder inwardly. "Walk forward five steps."

The next hour passed with Bumblebee's body responding to whatever Silas ordered him to do, and the man discovered that he had to be specific in his instructions. Telling the tall mech to shoot produced nothing, Silas had to order him to transform his servos into blasters before then telling him to shoot the targets. The human realized that by stripping the Autobot of its consciousness he had also reduced it to being unable to do anything without being told to. While this might have its disadvantages, Silas was very pleased with the end result and ordered the 'bot to shift to its vehicle mode.

Bumblebee had been banging himself against his mental prison for the better part of an hour, trying in vain to break the walls of code that separated him from his frame. How could humans come up with this technology to reduce a Cybertronian to nothing more than one of Earth's non-sentient machinery? Processor exhausted from the traumatic events it had undergone, Bumblebee shifted into his alt mode and was immediately repulsed at feeling the slight energon leak from his torn medical port and scratch neck joints begin to pool within their now confined space. Hopefully his systems would still have the ability to seal off small leakage problems without his command to do so.

Bumblebee was surprised that his frame could flinch as Silas climbed into him and sat in the driver's seat. Apparently, while his limbs obeyed Silas' orders his nervous system conveyed the 'bot's feelings and his feeling of revulsion as Silas touched him made his frame shiver.

Silas grinned as he ran a hand over the steering wheel, feeling a shuddering beneath his palms. He could probably order the robot not to do that but the power of the Autobot's fear was just so intoxicating. Let it keep something; let it hope that there was a chance it could break free some day.

"You're mine now," Silas said, pinching the steering wheel and feeling the metal beneath him jerk. "I own you. I've taken everything away from you, but it's only the beginning. Soon you will be battle tested, you will do as I say, kill who I tell you to. Human, robot, it won't matter, you will be helpless to stop me."

Curious, Silas drew his nails across the leather seat, not caring to hide the vicious smile that crossed his face as the car shuddered. "Do you remember a big blue mech, red eyes?" Bumblebee froze within his prison, was the human speaking of Breakdown? "We learned quite a bit from him, and that flyer, but it was the robot we found a few months ago that really opened the gateways for us. Thing crashed in Alaska years ago, discovered by accident and we swept in to claim it. We discovered so many of your secrets, access panels and your valuable spark but the best thing, we found was how everything you know, everything that makes you what you are, is built on codes and programs. You can download data like any of our machines; learn something new in less than a second by simply uploading the required file. But your base coding, the controls for your body, like our machines, can be changed with the right algorithm to do so." Silas grinned, "We call it the 'slave program', an algorithm that can separate your consciousness from your body and leave us in charge. It took quite a few tries to perfect but you are the end result and look how well you succumbed to me." Silas pulled a long knife from its sheath and used it to cut into Bumblebee's dashboard, "My Stingray."

Silas got out, deeply satisfied, and Bumblebee twitched at his lingering touch. He did not know what Silas had carved into him, but anyone looking into the front part of the car would see _property of MECH_ crudely cut into across the dashboard.

"Richards," the MECH leader called, a lean man came over to him and Silas handed him a piece of paper. "Here, this is what I want the new colors to be, can't have that eye-catching yellow on important missions now, can we?" Silas turned back to Bumblebee after Richards had moved off, "I'm going to wipe everything off of you that made you an Autobot. Optimus Prime values human life doesn't he? Well, a new paint job and you," he ran a hand over the hood, "Stingray, will show those molly-coddling Autobots what a real soldier does to succeed. After a few test runs you are going to be at the head of the MECH cause, the first of many to serve me."

A last pat and Silas walked away, making room for the paint crew. Bumblebee's spark stuttered, the little scout was beyond horrified at the human's implications. He could not kill a human, even now he only wanted to maim Silas to within an inch of his life but not kill him. Killing was a foreign concept to Bumblebee, he had not even wanted to kill Magatron when the Decepticon ripped his voice box out, only pound him with everything he had. Optimus Prime had sheltered him in the regard of taking a life; he had never been put in that situation before, as the Autobot leader had not wanted someone so young to carry such a burden.

"_No matter who, or the situation, you will always remember the life you cut short_."

Bumblebee sunk on his tires, remembering Prime's words and hoping with his entire spark that his fellow Autobots found him before Silas forced him to take a life.

The scout was brought out of his misery by the sound of a lid popping. Bumblebee saw the black paint and was unable to move away as it was applied to his body.

**AN: This chapter took a little long 'cause Silas scared even me. **


	4. The Scout's Nightmare part 2

**Chapter Summary: Bumblebee gets a new, sinister look, and the Autobots think they know where their scout is. **

{MECH base}

They had scraped the Autobot insignia off. That, more than the paintjob, had bothered him, and it had hurt. Bumblebee was sorely reminded, though it was easy to forget, that the human race was just like the Cybertronians; capable of good and bad. The symbol they had used to replace wherever his affiliation insignia had been had freaked the little Autobot out.

Now, instead of the symbol of the sleeping guardian, a grotesque image adorned Bumblebee. It was an eagle with two snakes wrapped around its body, their heads ready to strike at the bird's face. It was a weird twist of the American military symbol, Bumblebee was not completely ignorant of who Silas was more interested in getting the better of. Agent Fowler had given them all a debriefing of Silas, or Leland Bishop, after their first encounter with the crazed human when they had helped their liaison move the DNGS.

Leland Bishop had not taken his discharge from the military well and had vowed vengeance. Every encounter with MECH showed Silas' obsession with bringing a new world order to Earth, and punishing severely all those who got in his way. In some ways he was like Megatron, Bumblebee supposed, wanting to change the current regime for a system more to his liking.

Bumblebee had seen various different colors while the men had been painting him and so he was pretty sure that he would hate his new paintjob. They had first painted him black and then used dark blue and even a little red. Without being able to get an external look at himself while still in alt mode, Bumblebee could do nothing more than metaphorically twiddle his thumbs as he had so often seen Raf do while his little human friend waited for something to load on his laptop.

Raf. Bumblebee's spark ached at the mere thought of his little ward, who had become more than a responsibility since that first day he had seen Raf while helping Arcee fight those two Vehicons under the bridge. He could still see those big brown eyes, too scared to move yet still yelling at the Vehicons to leave 'Bee alone just when they were about to snuff out his spark. The little human boy had understood him, not needing a translator like the Autobots or Decepticons had both downloaded into their processors so as to understand him.

Guardian and ward had each given each other a scare a time or two since their first meeting. Each had grown stronger and learned to lean on one another for support instead of keeping everything bottled up inside. Now, with everything that had made Bumblebee unique and valued being taken away by Silas the Autobot found that his memory of Raf was the only thing untainted. The child was the one thing Silas did not know about, since the man had only had contact with Jack, so MECH could never use Raf against him.

The opening of a door sounded through Bumblebee's audios and his sensors picked up Silas. The man has degraded him in almost every way imaginable, changed him and threatened to destroy his Autobot beliefs. Bumblebee wished he could find a way to wipe the smug look off of Silas' face but could do nothing but wait for a command.

"Much better," Silas said approvingly. "Stingray transform."

Bumblebee's form shifted and he stood up. He caught sight of himself on one of the viewing screens and wished he could throw a tantrum worthy of an infuriated sparkling. While his entire frame had been painted black it was the dark blue that was the more dominant color, going over the black so that the darker color only appeared as a stripe here and there going down his arms and legs. His battle mask had dark red lines shaped to give him a more sinister appearance. Bumblebee had been right: he hated it. The color scheme made him look depressed, dark and angry, the complete opposite of his personality.

Being the youngest of the Autobots on Earth Bumblebee had always held the role of 'lightening the mood'. His constant energy and willingness to joke around to make others laugh had been infectious at the Autobot base, the only time he ever became serious was when a comrade died or if he was in a battle zone. Even then he would grab the opportunity to play a prank on the Decepticons if he could, a habit Ratchet said that he had picked up from the Twins.

"I wonder," Silas tilted his head, an action Bumblebee now recognized as not a good sign. "Is there a possibility we could change its eye color?"

"We would have to test with the eye sockets we got from the other one before I could give you definite answer, sir."

"It's not a priority but do look into it." Silas circled Bumblebee, before standing in front of him again. "Was the audio receiver installed?"

"Yes, sir. You can now give it orders no matter how far away you are."

Bumblebee did not like the sound of that but Silas was pleased.

"Very good. Stingray, return to vehicle mode." Bumblebee transformed back into his vehicle mode and twitched as Silas ran a hand over his frame. Silas grinned and turned to his men, "It's time for a test run."

{Autobot H.Q.}

"Optimus, I have pinpointed the _Nemesis'_ location." Ratchet reported, earning everyone's attention when he spoke. "Its orbit is now taking it past Russia."

"Are we sure that they took Bumblebee?" Arcee asked.

"Who else could it be?" Bulkhead demanded.

"Arcee has a point," Optimus said. "Why take Bumblebee but leave you behind? However, as searching the _Nemesis_ is our only option at this point we will take it and if we cannot find our missing comrade then we can at least find out what has kept the Decepticons quiet this long."

While the Autobots prepared to disembark they did not notice that Raf slipped away from them. The smaller human ignored the elevator in preference of climbing up one of the ladders that led to the top of the hidden silo. Once outside Raf sat down to watch the setting sun.

He had done what he could to help Ratchet find the _Nemesis_, now the rest was up the Autobots. Raf drew his legs in, circling his arms around them and buried his head in his knees. He'd been very proud of himself with how well he had been keeping his emotions in check since Bumblebee had gone missing.

Only when he was away from the others had he allowed himself to cry. Bumblebee was his friend, his guardian, and he had saved his life more times then Raf had fingers. Yet at this time, when Raf could return the favor, he found himself helpless to do so. There were no leads; the area where Bumblebee had been taken had been cleaned thoroughly, which had made Raf think that perhaps it was not the Decepticons who had taken the yellow scout. Megatron certainly would not have cared whether his people left signs behind nor would he have cared if the Autobots had found out that he had taken Bumblebee. Plus take into account that both the Autobots and Decepticons seem to fight shy of using any type of EMP device against each other, the possibility of themselves being taken out as well in the blast was just too high to use it.

Raf felt the ground beneath him tremble, signaling the activation of the ground bridge. He had been the one who had originally raised the question of Decepticon involvement in Bumblebee's kidnapping when Ratchet had asked him for help in finding the _Nemesis_. Raf had been surprised when Arcee had raised the issue again, after Ratchet and Bulkhead had so firmly put Raf's observations down the first time.

Sighing, Raf leaned his head back and froze when he looked up into the sky. There were two flaming objects heading down towards him and he wasted no time in jumping to his feet. His short legs could have won him a marathon with how quickly they carried him back into the safety of the hatch and he hit the alarm.


	5. Stingray's First Mission

**Chapter Summary: Bumblebee completes his first mission for MECH**

Bumblebee stealthily moved towards the air base. Silas had ordered him to make no sound while he broke into the base and downloaded the hard drive. The human was safely back at his base, watching through a spy cam attached to Bumblebee's battle mask. With orders delivered through the link in his audios, Bumblebee's frame followed Silas' directions as he sneaked around the base.

Bumblebee himself could do nothing to warn the many human guards that he slipped past. The Autobot scout was not foolish to believe that all of Silas' missions for him would be as quiet as this one, no, the human merely wanted to test him out. The next missions would be more demanding, more destruction would be involved and there would be loss of life. Unless the Autobots found him.

Optimus Prime had the whole team looking for him by now and soon they would find him. MECH had made more than enough mistakes in the past during their confrontations with both the Autobots and the Decepticons, Silas may have been a smart human but Bumblebee knew that Cybertronian brains could sift through information a lot faster than humans could. Yes, it was only a matter of time before the Autobots found him.

"_Second building on your right_," Silas' voice purred in his audios, sending an unpleasant thrumming through his systems. His body was ready to jump to obey every word Silas said, eagerly waiting for each command; it sickened him. "_Stingray, crouch_." Bumblebee did so, avoiding the sweeping light overhead. "_Proceed to target in crouched form_."

Bumblebee watched from within his prison as his body silently moved forward. There, he was at the building, "_Open the top window and reach in with your right hand for the main frame_," his arm obeyed, latching onto the fragile piece of human technology gently. "_Now, download the hard drive_." Cables attached to his fingers and his optics dimmed as the information from the air base was downloaded into the memory banks.

The little scout could not see anything of special importance to Silas. The base held no top secrets, no new types of weaponry; in short they appeared to be no threat to Silas or MECH at all. What was the point in downloading information Silas already had to know?

"_Very good, Stingray_." That voice! Bumblebee had watched enough Earth movies to know that when the bad guy used that voice there was more in store than what was expected. "_Transform into vehicle mode_."

Bumblebee was confused as his body obeyed. No matter how hard one could try there was no way to shift into an alt mode without making noise. Sure enough there were voices yelling as he changed into his alt mode, lights springing on and swirling in his direction.

"_Drive at full speed back to MECH H.Q_." Bumblebee's engine revved to life and his tires screeched a black stretch across the asphalt. By the time the soldiers gathered Bumblebee was breaking through the metal fence and leaving a smell of burnt rubber in his wake as he tore down the road.

"_Well done, Stingray, come to the main hub for your debriefing_."

Bumblebee did not like the sound of that, not one bit. What was this 'debriefing' going to be?

Two hours later Bumblebee passed the security check point for MECH H.Q. Pulling into an abandoned warehouse Bumblebee came to a stop and the floor moved beneath him, an elevator taking him to the ground levels below. Bumblebee wished he knew what state he was in; somewhere in the north at least judging by temperature but not having seen any state signs it had to be one of the big ones.

"Welcome back Stingray," Silas said, his hands behind his back as he surveyed the car pulling into the room. "Transform to bipedal mode." Bumblebee obeyed, standing before MECH's group of scientists who gazed up at him with eager anticipation. It was then that Bumblebee noticed a very familiar cable lying on a table next to the computers.

Mentally he pulled away, remembering the last time he had seen that cable and what it had done. But physically he did not move, trapped to every one of Silas' whims. "Look at it, gentlemen. A perfect piece of machinery, able to store more data than any one of our computers and housing an impressive field of weaponry as well. The mission was a success, which means we can move onto much larger targets without any fears of the program being overrun."

"Sir," one of the scientists said, "should we have a paint touch-up for those scrapes?"

Silas looked at where the metal gate had scraped against the paint and shook his head. "No, leave them, they're battle scars now. Let's wrap this up and get ready for tomorrow. Stingray, take that cable and jam it into your open port."

_No_! Bumblebee mentally screamed even as his hand closed around the cable. He thrashed against the wall of code, banging and shouting with all his might. They could not do this to him again! They could not make him do this to himself! _No! _For a second Bumblebee thought that his servo hesitated but it was must have been his imagination for the cable was pushed into his port without any care to damage.

Since Bumblebee was pushing the cable into the back of his head, and could not see what he was doing, it was not surprising that the entry was painful. The spike scraped against the barely healed medical port as it connected, making his optics flare as the pain registered. It was not fair! If he could not control his body then he should not be able to feel as well! But feel he did, even the small stream of energon that spilled from the wound and flowed out from around the cable to hit the floor.

One of the scientists gasped, "Sir, should we seal that leak?"

Silas turned to the speaker with a raised eyebrow, "Do you think it can feel pain, Leonards? It is a robot, a machine like all the others in this room. Just because it can move around and carries an impressive weapons arsenal does not mean we need to treat it with extra care. Stingray, download the air base's files into the empty hard drive now."

One of the humans monitoring the screen let them know when the download was complete. "Good. Stingray, turn the cable and pull it out."

Bumblebee's mind echoed with his groans as the cable made a screeching sound as it scraped its way out.

"Stingray, transform into vehicle mode." While the scout was obeying the order Silas turned to the scientists. "Go through the information we received and prepare for tomorrow's mission." Silas opened Bumblebee's driver door and got in. "Stingray, start engine and let me drive." Bumblebee winced at the hard grip on his steering wheel as Silas drove him to another large room.

Smiling, Silas leaned back in the seat and slipped off his gloves. "Do you know why I'm doing this?" Silas asked, then continued, as he knew he would not get a reply. "Because I know you're in there, your body may be mine but your mind is still yours." He chuckled though the smile on his face was hard. "I'm not going to do anything to erase your consciousness though because I want you to feel this," Silas grinned as he felt the seat tremble. "Your fear is intoxicating, such a big, strong robot afraid of me, the power you give me! I will use you against yourself," Silas taunted his unwilling accomplice, "I will break you. I will make you hate yourself, no matter what form you are in you will never be free of me, and you will wish that you really were Stingray, the emotionless MECH robot. You will curse the Autobots, your race and you will hate humans. After you kill the first ten you won't even regret it, because you'll justify it as stopping others from turning into me. I could probably even give you control of your body back at that point and you'd still do everything I told you to, but I won't. Because. You. Are. Mine!" Silas punctuated the last four words by banging his fist on the dashboard, and he grinned when he felt the robot tremble beneath him.

"Transform into bipedal mode." Bumblebee was still shaking; even though his frame carried out the order there were telltale signs where the wiring of his nervous system rippled in fear and anger. "Stingray, you will move all of those crates, slowly to the other side of the room. That will keep you busy tonight and I will return in the morning for your next mission."

Silas left the room and Bumblebee's frame went to work. Inside Bumblebee panicked, was Silas seriously not going to let him recharge? His tank was already low on energon and a night without recharge would not be good for his systems at all. But perhaps this would be a good thing; once he burned through his energon he would not be able to be sent out on missions. He would not be able to hurt anybody.

While his frame worked Bumblebee drew himself together. If his frame could not rest than at least his mind could. Shoving out everything that Silas had done, Bumblebee drew his memories of Raf around him like a blanket and let them comfort him. If Silas was serious about his plan, and given how things had gone so far he most likely was, then Bumblebee would need to keep his sanity and the only way to do that was to hold tight on the one thing that really mattered to him. Raf. The little human who had become like a brother to him, oh how he wished he was back at base and playing a racing game with his friend right now!


	6. Autobot Mistake

**Chapter Summary: The Autobots make a mistake and the Decepticons are not amused.**

{Meanwhile, pt.1}

Ratchet opened the ground bridge on the _Nemesis_ and the Autobots rushed through it. They had chosen to appear near the storage rooms in the lower deck, since these were closer to the holding cells. Optimus hoped that they would be able to grab Bumblebee quickly and get off the ship without entering a large confrontation with the Decepticons. Although with the high security that Soundwave ran it was highly unlikely, Optimus still felt the need to be optimistic(get it?) about the situation.

Arcee led point, with Optimus behind her and Bulkhead picking up the rear. The blue motorcycle was tense, more on edge than the others; Bumblebee and herself were usually partners on missions. The younger mech's lighter frame had been better equipped to keep up with the femme's speed that Bulkhead's bulky(there I go again) form or Optimus' huge, thundering frame. Bumblebee was like a brother, an annoying one who would not leave you alone until he got you to laugh or smile. The yellow scout was one of the few who saw through Arcee's brave exterior, which she put forth whenever she was an emotional wreck; like when Cliffjumper died.

Her old partner had died on the _Nemesis_, and Arcee feared the ship more than she let on to the rest. While Starscream was no longer a member of the Decepticon army this fact did nothing to alleviate Arcee's tension. She had seen Megatron snuff a few sparks of the Autobot faction on Cybertron, and then there were his days in the gladiator ring. However, while Starscream would act out in anyway that pleased him Megatron never did anything without a purpose. If the Decepticons had gone through so much trouble to take Bumblebee alive then Megatron was not about to crush him so quickly. There was still hope.

The Autobots moved in formation down the hallway, doing their best to keep quiet. None of them were expecting an easy time navigating the _Nemesis'_ corridors but they were confident that they could handle any threat quickly without raising too many alarms. When the two Vehicons turned the corner and stood before them the Autobots reacted quickly while the Decepticons froze in surprise.

Arcee dodged to the side, firing her blasters while Optimus moved to the other side and Bulkhead stepped forward. Their added firepower downed the two Vehicons in seconds, their frames hitting the deck with echoing thumps and the Autobots quickly moved forward.

Arcee scanned the hallway the Vehicons had come from and saw no one. Optimus opted(hee-hee) to go the other way, since they all knew that when there were two Vehicons there could be more. The Autobots continued on their way, but with a little more haste than before.

The hallway they took led to the cells and the Autobots wasted no time in checking each one. They had only managed to check five cells before a loud drumming of footsteps alerted them to the fact that many Decepticons were approaching them. Quickly Optimus and Bulkhead took up defensive positions while Arcee raced for the next cell,

Vehicons came rushing around the bend, opening fire without hesitation. Since Prime's and Bulkhead's armor were thicker than your average Cybertronian they could take a larger beating and so were able to fend off the Decepticons' assault.

The Vehicons ran forward, shooting and dodging enemy fire as much as the Autobots were. Optimus and Bulkhead were soon fighting hand-to-hand and Arcee was forced to fight along with them as the Decepticons outnumbered them greatly. At first the Autobots were holding their own, and wiping the deck with the Vehicons, but that changed when Dreadwing and Megatron made their way through the ranks.

"Prime!" Megatron growled, leaving the other two Autobots for Dreadwing to handle while he tackled Optimus.

"Megatron." No other words were spoken as the two leaders clashed, foregoing guns in favor of using sheer force to overpower the other.

The Vehicons hung back; cutting off escape routes while the two higher class Decepticons fought the Autobots. Dreadwing may have been taller than Bulkhead and Arcee but he also had grace and skill that made Seekers the excellent fighters they were whether in the sky or on the ground. Bulkhead kept himself staying away from Dreadwing's sword while Arcee had to dodge the Seeker's free hand that was intent on grabbing her.

Feinting a move, Dreadwing waited till Arcee took the bait before he reversed course and grabbed her. Before Bulkhead could move in Dreadwing had dropped his sword to point a cannon at Arcee while his other servo kept a hard grip on her.

"Move, and she dies." Dreadwing said, and Bulkhead did not doubt him for a second.

Optimus and Megatron had traded blows back and forth, with neither side showing an ounce of weakening. Megatron knew that had Optimus not accepted the mantle of the primes the ex-gladiator could have easily beaten Orion Pax. Not that he would ever have wanted to, of course, the two had been the best of friends and had set out to change Cybertron for the better of their race. It was a vision Megatron had held onto, a vision he had seen crumble into dust when the scholar had returned from a meeting with the council wearing the upgraded frame and mantle of a prime.

When Optimus had lost his memory Megatron had not taken him simply to decode the Iacon database. Seeing his friend once again, Megatron, perhaps selfishly so, had grabbed him and wanted him as far away from the Autobots as possible. Not that those Autobots on Earth were evil but they fought for a cause they did not understand.

"My lord." Megatron and Optimus were locked in a grapple, but they both turned their heads to look in Dreadwing's direction. Vehicons held Bulkhead under guard while Arcee was still trapped in Dreadwing's grip, it was certainly a situation any Autobot would dread(I can't help it).

Megatron turned back to Optimus. "Stand down, Prime, your team is within my grasp and they will die before you can save them."

"I will not surrender," Optimus said, and Megatron narrowed his optics.

"I did not demand your surrender, only that you stand down in order to cease any more killing today. You are on my territory, Optimus, I deserve an explanation."

"Where's Bumblebee?" Bulkhead asked.

"Quiet," Optimus ordered, releasing his hold on Megatron and they both stood up straight.

"That is why you are here?" Megatron asked, "In search of your missing scout?"

"You know he's gone," Arcee said, ignoring Dreadwing's look of disapproval. "Where is he?"

Megatron surveyed them all before motioning to his Vehicons to cease blocking the hallway. "Walk with me Optimus."

"What about—"

"They will come to no harm. I invoke a ceasefire between our groups for the duration of three hours. Walk with me." Megatron started down the hallway and Optimus followed, leaving Bulkhead and Arcee where they were.

Arcee twisted in Dreadwing's hold to look at Bulkhead. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Bulkhead said, and they went silent while the Decepticons glared at them.

Megatron opened every cell, showing Optimus that they were empty before he turned to the prime. "What reason would I have in abducting the little yellow one? The only valuable piece of information he holds is the location of your base, but frankly I have been too busy with more important matters than looking for your hiding place. Your scout is not here."

Optimus let his battle mask slide back, "Where else could he be, Megatron? You have not threatened the human population for several months now, what are you planning?"

Megatron grinned, "Nothing that concerns the humans I assure you Prime."

"You expect me to believe you?" Optimus asked, his suspicions heightened.

Megatron's easy manner disappeared and he drew himself up. "Go search for your scout among the race you like so much, Prime. Soundwave, open a portal to the planet." No one spoke as a green swirl opened up to the side.

Dreadwing released Arcee and the Decepticons kept their blasters trained on the Autobots as they retreated to the portal. Optimus was the last through, turning back to look at Megatron. "If you're lying, Megatron, we shall return."

Megatron snarled, "Get off my ship."

**AN: Okay, given how this chapter is between the Autobots and the Decepticons let's split you guys up. It's time to show your colors, from now on when you review state your faction: Autobot or Decepticon. That way I'll see to which side this story appeals to more. **


	7. Backup is Here

**Chapter Summary: Some Unexpected Help Arrives**

{Meanwhile, pt.2}

Raf slid down the ladder, yelling at the top of his lungs for the Autobot medic. "Ratchet! Ratchet!"

"I see it Rafael, I see it!" Ratchet shouted back as Raf ran into the main room of the base.

"See what?" Miko asked, she and Jack having gone off to explore one of the storage rooms but abandoning that idea when the alarms sounded.

"Two pods entered Earth's atmosphere and are heading for the valley just beyond the base," Ratchet answered.

"Autobot or Decepticon?" Jack asked.

"Unknown at this time," Ratchet replied.

"Suh-weet!" Miko cried. "Is that how all your guys landed on the planet?"

They all turned to look at her with bemusement. "Miko," Jack said, "these aren't the first pods we've seen."

Miko punched him in the shoulder, "That you've seen, you mean! And those were already here, but now I get to see an actual landing!" She smiled, then frowned, "You know what would make this cooler? If I could watch it outside."

"Miko!" Ratchet turned, "You will stay inside!"

Miko groaned but Jack stopped her, "Weren't you listening to the part where we don't know if they're good or bad?"

"Oh, details," Miko huffed.

"Why can't you tell, Ratchet?" Raf asked, glad that there was something to distract him.

"Because, Rafael, they have deactivated their transmitters," Ratchet replied, tracking the pods' progress on the screens. "It's standard procedure when landing on a planet with both factions present, that way the other side won't be able to destroy the pods before the inhabitants have a chance to get out and run if need be."

"That makes sense." Raf tapped the keys on his laptop, "They'll be coming down on the other side of the base, away from the town."

"Yes, but I doubt the humans are oblivious to two flaming objects coming this way. If they are Autobots we'll have to move quickly to get those pods inside the base before the local law enforcement shows up."

The three human children and the Autobot medic became silent as they focused all their attention on the screens.

"Houston we have a landing!" Miko shouted jovially, as first one pod and then another landed with a shower of dirt in the Nevada desert.

"Uh, Ratchet," Raf said, "isn't that pod on the right bigger than the other one?"

"Hmm," Ratchet enhanced the screen and measured both pods. "You're right, Rafael, it is."

"Ohh," Miko said, "is he going to be as big as Bulkhead? Maybe as tall as Optimus?"

"Bigger in width than length, Miko," Raf said.

"So as big as Bulkhead."

"Doubtful," Ratchet said, his eyes narrowing at the screen. "That type of pod is designed to carry two, not one."

'They're opening!" Raf said, and they all held their breath as each pod opened.

Ratchet saw the frame emerge from the pod on the left and sighed, "Well, I suppose it's good to see that he survived the war."

"Who, Ratchet? Who?" Miko asked impatiently.

"That blue one is Blurr, a young mech a little older than Bumblebee."

"What's wrong with that?" Jack asked, as Raf had ducked his head at the mention of his guardian.

"Nothing," Ratchet growled, "except that he talks too fast for anyone to understand him."

"Ratchet look!" Raf shouted, and the medic looked back at the screen to see what had caught the small human's attention.

"By the Allspark," Ratchet whispered, then he face-palmed. "Why does Primus wish to torment me?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Miko asked. "You of all the 'bots' on base keep wanting more guys to help out!"

"Wanting someone to help is entirely different from getting someone who will cause nothing but trouble," Ratchet snapped back. "And trust me on this, there is no one more inclined to trouble and bringing chaos on an organized unit than them!" He stabbed a finger at the screen, "Those two don't care for orders or rules, and they decide what they're going to do and when and how they're going to do it! They prank left and right, and complain about their paintjob when it gets scratched up."

"And?" Miko asked, a mischievous smile tugging at her lips.

"And they have a nickname for me that if I catch any of you using you will be mopping this base for months!"

"Noted," Jack saluted, while Miko twirled her fingers mockingly and Raf was too intent on watching the screen.

"Now stay here while I go out and help them move those pods."

Ratchet took the back exit, since that was closer to the landing and transformed into his vehicle mode. He drove quickly to where the three mechs were and transformed again.

"Heymedicdoc!" Blurr yelled happily and Ratchet grumbled.

"Welcome to Earth. I will explain the situation later but right now we need to move these pods into the base before the humans arrive."

"I thought the humans were our allies, why are we hiding from them?"

"No time to explain." Ratchet snapped back and the three mechs helped him silently break down the pods and move them into the base.

Once inside the three newcomers blinked as they took in the three children standing on the platform. The blue mech bounced forward, crouching to get a good look at them.

'They'resosmall! I'veneverseenanythignsosmallexceptsparklings! Aretheysparklings? Howbigdotheygrow? CanIholdone?"

The other three mechs were silent as they took a few seconds to translate the words and the children just blinked in confusion. "Ugh," the yellow newcomer said. "You let these things crawl around base? They had better not get their squishiness on me."

"They are certainly different looking," the red one said. "Please tell me they get bigger."

Ratchet sighed, "Since these are children they will get taller, but Jack is almost to his full height. Blurr, unless they give permission you cannot hold one, and you two will be polite. These three are wards of the Autobots and, as much as I am loathe to admit it, they have helped us on more than one occasion."

Miko whistled, "Hello? We're right here you know?"

The yellow arrival recoiled, "It speaks!"

"Ratchet," said Jack, "are you going to introduce us?"

"Of course. Jack, Miko and Rafael, meet Blurr, and the Twins: Sunstreaker and Sideswipe."

"Whereiseveryone,Ratchet? Where'sOptimus? Where'sBumblebee? What'sbeenhappening?" Blurr asked.

"Blurr!" Ratchet said, getting the blue mech to cease his jumping up and down. "Smokescreen and Wheeljack are on a deep space mission. Optimus, Arcee and Bulkhead are infiltrating the _Nemesis_ looking for Bumblebee."

"What happened to Bumblebee?' Sunstreaker and Sideswipe asked in unison.

"You really do act like twins!" Miko shouted. "Suh-weet!"

The Twins glanced at her briefly before looking back at Ratchet. "Bumblebee went missing after an EMP went off during a mission he and Bulkhead were on. Optimus and the others went to the _Nemesis_ to retrieve him."

Before the Twins could further interrogate Ratchet they heard a scraping sound and turned to the humans. The littlest one, Rafael, had pushed his chair back and was running down the stairs. "Raf!" Jack and Miko called but the boy ignored them and left the room.

"What's wrong with him?" asked Sideswipe.

Ratchet sighed, "Bumblebee is Rafael's guardian, the boy's not taking the separation well, especially when we know so little as to why Bumblebee was taken."

"Bumblebee'saguardian?" Blurr asked.

"Little B's a guardian?" Sideswipe asked, while Sunstreaker turned to look the way Raf had run.

"Yes, they became very close, especially as Rafael is the only human who can understand Bumblebee's whistles and chirps."

"Let's go," said Sunstreaker, latching into Sideswipe's arm and pulling him towards the way Raf had gone.

"Now wait a minute!" Ratchet started forward, "Where are you two going?"

"You said the squishy was Bumblbee's ward," Sunstreaker said.

"Which makes him family," Sideswipe pointed out.

"Very well," Ratchet sighed, "but if you two hurt Rafael I'll turn you into scrap metal."

"Yes, Hatchet!" The Twins said and then they quickly left.

"Don't call me that!"

Blurr turned to the remaining humans, "So,canIholdyou?"

**Decepticons: 4**

**Autobots: 1**


	8. Stingray's Second Mission part 1

**Chapter Summary: Bumblebee's second mission for MECH**

{MECH H.Q.}

Bumblebee held his imaginary breath as Silas commanded him to lie down on the table. A scientist climbed over him, coming towards his helm and Bumblebee found the urge to want power over his limbs to flick the human off him very strong. The Autobot could feel his frame shaking, either with rage or fear he was not quite sure but neither emotion could help him at the time. In a situation such as this surely hurting a human would be justifiable, right?

"Are you sure only its eyes will change?" Silas asked.

"Of course, sir, we experimented frequently on the other parts we have until we were a hundred percent sure nothing else would happen."

"Continue then."

Silas looked on impassively as the scientist accessed one optic and then the other. Whatever color the man was changing his optics to did not impede his vision at all, a fact Bumblebee was not sure he should be grateful for or not. Time would tell if he actually wanted to see what Silas was going to make him do. If the car ride over to this room had been any indication, Silas had a great many things in store for the Autobot none of which boded well for the little scout.

"All finished, sir," the scientist said and he got off of Bumblebee.

"Very good. Stingray, stand up." Bumblebee's frame obeyed. "Let's see if this works. Scan vehicle and take it as your vehicular mode."

_What_? Bumblebee shouted but was helpless to stop his scanner activating or his plates shifting to the new mode. His body transformed into an exact replica as the original MECH had provided. A Jeep Wrangler with a mounted gun where the back seat should have been. (picture on my profile)

_Nothing more than a piece of destruction,_ Bumblebee thought. _That's what they're making me into_.

"Magnificent," Silas purred. "Audio and visual links established?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good." Silas got into Bumblebee's new vehicle mode and ordered him to start the engine. Under Silas' rough hands, Bumblebee drove to the elevator and was taken to the surface. Waiting inside the warehouse was a large semi truck with a trailer. Bumblebee's spark skipped a beat but Silas felt the shift beneath him and pinched the leather seat. "As if I would let you leave that easily, Stingray."

Bumblebee was driven into the empty trailer and Silas got out. He rubbed his hand over the hood, "When you return from your mission you won't want anyone to rescue you. You'll rather stay right here," he scraped his nails on the side, "with me then face your kind after what you do." Silas grinned, "Not that you'll ever get a choice of course."

Bumblebee was enclosed in darkness. He was aware when the truck started and he could count how many turns and how long they stayed driving straight, but otherwise he was ignorant of where he was going. He kept track of the time, if only to distract himself from Silas' words.

Six hours later the truck stopped and the back door was opened. "_Stingray exit the trailer_," Silas ordered. Bumblebee exited and looked at whatever he could see to identify where he was. Still in the north, perhaps Canada? He really wished his internal map was up and running.

"_Stingray, time to become a true soldier of MECH_." With those words Bumblebee understood the human phrase 'getting a chill up my spine', "_Now, drive east and when you come within a mile of the Army base you will stop_."

It took an hour for Bumblebee to reach the spot he was supposed to stop. Seeing the sign for Alaska managed to cheer him up a little bit, "_Charge the main gate and break through_." Silas waited until Bumblebee was through the gate before issuing his next orders, "_Now transform and open fire on the all the buildings. Raze them to the ground and make sure you get any visible missile launchers_."

_No_! Bumblebee thrashed in his prison and wailed as his blasters opened fire. Explosions burst across the base, missile launchers and any other form of defense among the first to go. The soldiers, taken by surprise, scrambled for some cover before they even tried to shoot back at their attacker. Their bullets ricocheted off of the Autobot as the base was not equipped to handle a Cybertronian. Bumblebee could not tell for certain if he was actually killing any humans but there was no way that those buildings were empty.

It was utter chaos around the Autobot as he continued to destroy the Army base. Screams of pain and anger surrounded him as Silas ordered him to move and continue blasting everything to scrap. His aim was utterly merciless and uncaring as his blasters were activated again and again. Blast and destroy, burn and demolish, the scene reminded him too much of Cybertron for comfort.

There was so much horror and devastation around him. Bumblebee tried to pull himself away, to surround his consciousness with good memories but he was unable to separate from what he was seeing. Fire blazed from the buildings, casting the base in a sickly glow of destruction. Smoke blew to the heavens, a sight caught by many eyes whose curiosity was aroused.

A human ran from a burning building and stumbled before him. Wide blue eyes, staring out from a bloodied face looked up at him fearfully. Panicked breaths, huffing from exertion and wracking the small body as the man looked up at him. Bumblebee pleaded for the man to get up and run, before Silas saw him but even if he had been able to speak the human would not have understood.

Bumblebee could almost feel Silas regarding the human before him. His cold eyes not caring one wit for either the member of his race or the Cybertronian. The scout's fears were worth concern when he heard that hated voice once more purr in his audio.

"_Kill him_."

The Autobot primed his blaster and Bumblebee pummeled his cage more fiercely than he ever had before. He could not do this, this act more than everything else Silas had done to him would be the last straw. He would not be a murderer.

_Noooooooooooo_!

**Current faction voting stats:**

**Decepticons: 5**

**Autobots: 2**


	9. Stingray's Second Mission part 2

**AN: Just fyi, I did not make up the Twins' nickname for Ratchet. Anyway, thanks to those who care enough to review, it really makes a difference. **

**Chapter Summary: The Autobots make a second mistake, Bumblebee is given a choice, and the Decepticons decide to get interested.**

{Autobot Base}

"_Prime! Prime, where are you_?" Agent Fowler's voice came into the main room and everyone turned from what they were doing.

Miko and Bulkhead had been talking about the stinkin' 'cons together, wondering if they could figure out on their own where Bumblebee was being held. Optimus and Ratchet had been talking quietly by the ground bridge controls, the medic asking the Autobot leader if Megatron could really be trusted when he said that he did not have the scout. Jack had been helping Arcee touch-up her motorcycle, gently sanding down the scratches from the fight on the _Nemesis_. Blurr was taking inventory of the storage rooms since Ratchet needed the younger 'bot to do something productive but far away from the medic.

The Twins and Raf were off to the side in a corner. Sunstreaker was leaning against the wall, his blue optics watching the little squishy that Sideswipe was holding. After comforting the little guy the night before, the Twins had come up with different scenarios to keep Raf entertained and to learn all they could about the relationship between their adopted brother and his ward.

Sunstreaker was ready to admit, to his brother not to anyone else, that the little hacker was tolerable. Hearing of the battle with the scraplets and how this little thing had helped Bumblebee from getting eaten alive was certainly a huge factor in the Twins coming to accept Raf as something more than a thing that would be messy if squished. If not for these human allies there would have been no friendly reception to greet them when they landed, and the scraplets would have running unchecked across the planet.

Sideswipe shuddered a little; just thinking of the scraplets was enough to make him uneasy. The Twins feared no Decepticon, even willing to take Megatron on a time or two, and they fought purely for vengeance against those who had robbed them of their parental units. But like all other Cybertronians, the scraplets were enough to make the Twins quake on their peds.

"Agent Fowler," Prime said, and the Twins returned their attention to Raf. With Bumblebee gone it was their job to protect the fleshling and if what happened around them did not concern Decepticons well then you can forget them giving their attention to anything else but Raf. "Unless there is cause for an emergency I request that you not contact us."

"_You bet there's cause for an emergency_!" Fowler snapped, and Raf curled up in Sideswipe's servo. The little boy just wanted the world to slip away while he rested in the warm palm of one of his guardian's older brothers'. Being so close to someone Bumblebee counted as family had helped calm Raf down considerably and he could do without Fowler's yelling.

Unlike with the others, Bumblebee had talked to Raf about the Twins. The boy had been eager to meet the two to whom Bumblebee owed so much, had they not found him buried beneath the rubble when the other Autobots were sure no one had survived, little sparkling 'Bee would have died. Raf had Bumblebee's assurance that should they ever meet the Twins would look after him, just as they had 'Bee when he was little, after all, sparklings were not on the twins' prank hit list.

"_The U.S. Army base outside Juneau, Alaska has just been hit. I'm sending you satellite photos of the area. Coms are down with the base and what these pictures show is not pretty by any standards_."

Ratchet tapped a few keys and pictures popped up on the screen. All the Autobots, except the Twins, moved over to see the satellite shots better. The base was burning, all right, and the blue beam speeding toward a building left no doubt in anyone's minds who was responsible for the destruction.

"That's the 'Cons alright!" Bulkhead said. "Guess it's no big surprise that's Megatron's a liar, huh?"

"Bulkhead," Optimus said, "you and Arcee will go to Alaska and deal with this Decepticon threat."

"What about us, Prime?" Sunstreaker growled, as Sideswipe stood up and ran a finger to soothe an increasingly drowsy Raf. Shielded in the mech's servo, the boy was becoming less aware of what was happening around him as Sideswipe focused on easing him into recharge. If the Twins had one gift that Ratchet appreciated it was getting stubborn patients into recharge mode.

"Given our encounters with the Decepticons in the past it is doubtful that this is their only point of attack. It would be unwise of us to deploy all our troops or to even let Megatron know that we have received reinforcements. Ratchet, activate the ground bridge."

{Back to Juneau Army base}

The blue blaster bolt incinerated the human and Bumblebee wailed his grief within the confines of his prison. With his own optics he had seen himself kill a human, a soldier who had probably never heard of MECH or of the Cybertronians. The man probably had a family, children who would grow up without their father as he had done. Bumblebee had vowed to never be responsible for a sparkling going through what he had gone through, but now he had broken his vow.

The man was not the only one who fell before Bumblebee's blasters. Unable to look away, Bumblebee watched as he killed humans left and right under Silas' direction. Blood painted the ground and his peds stepped in it, coating the soles of his feet and seeping into his gears. He doubted that it would ever be completely washed away should Silas ever permit him a bath.

"_Now you're truly one of us_," Silas gloated in his ear.

_If I ever break out of your control I will kill you_! Bumblebee screamed in his mind, wishing that Silas could hear him so that the human would know the wrath burning in the Autobot's processor.

Smashing a tank, Bumblebee threw it before turning back to where a few humans were attempting to shoot him with their primitive rifles. "_Run at them and squash them with your feet!" _Silas ordered.

Bumblebee started forward, running toward the humans who were crouching behind some debris. Inside Bumblebee felt numb, knowing he could do nothing to stop these men from dying beneath his peds. Just as he reached them a blaster bolt impacted with his left shoulder and sent him staggering away from his intended targets.

"_Look to your left_!" Silas ordered and Bumblebee obeyed. His spark jumped at seeing Arcee and Bulkhead running towards him and for a second he hoped they were coming to rescue him but that hope burst into ash as both the incoming Autobots opened fire on him. "_Retreat back the way you came and open fire on those robots_!"

Bulkhead and Arcee dodged the incoming blaster fire and made to pursue but a scream stopped them. Turning they saw soldiers trapped in a burning building. "Get the humans out, Arcee," Bulkhead turned his right servo into his smashing ball. "I'll take the 'Con."

Arcee did not argue, even though she had seniority over Bulkhead. The ex-Wrecker was right, he would have a better time taking on the Decepticon than she would with her smaller frame and the humans did need to be helped. "Fine, but be careful."

Bumblebee watched as Bulkhead charged toward him. "_Open fire_!" Silas ordered, but 'Bee knew that Bulkhead would not be taken down so easily.

Bulkhead crashed into Bumblebee and Silas ordered him to fight back. However, even though in control of his frame Bumblebee could have given Bulkhead a run for his money he still could not match the bulky 'bot with strength. No doubt Silas could see that this was the case since after five minutes of the two Cybertronians grappling he gave another order.

Bumblebee watched one servo turn into a blaster and shoved its way into Bulkhead's shoulder joint. A bolt hit the wiring between the arm and shoulder and Bulkhead yelled out, releasing Bumblebee as he stepped back. Inside his processor, Bumblebee whimpered as he saw his friend losing energon from the wound that he had inflicted.

"_Transform and return to the truck_."

There was nothing to do but obey. Bumblebee burned rubber getting back to the truck and pulling into the trailer. The MECH soldiers laughed as they closed the door, sealing him in darkness and he did not bother to distract himself with counting the turns or time that passed. He was numb, and for a brief moment wondered if he had the power to offline himself if he would.

Silas had succeeded. He had made Bumblebee do that which he had sworn not to, rendering his Autobot oath broken and his morals degraded. Silas was right, even if the Autobots found him now he would not want to return.

How could he look any of them in the optics again? How could he ever beg them for forgiveness? There was no way he would be able to atone for this, no deed he could possibly do could make recompense for these atrocities.

Bumblebee did not notice the passing of time and when the trailer stopped he was not aware. The door opening and Silas ordering him to drive out were all done with him only dimly knowing that they were happening. He did not snap out of his daze until he drove into the room Silas had made him move the boxes in earlier.

There, standing before him, was a tall gray mech. He was almost the size of Optimus Prime but looking nothing like the Autobot leader or Megatron. The yellow optics bore into him with an intensity that would have made Bumblebee shiver had he still not felt so numb.

"Transform Stingray." That voice! Bumblebee's frame obeyed as Bumblebee himself reeled back as he recognized the voice coming from the taller mech, though he could not place a name or where he might have seen the mech before. "You did well today, Stingray. Much better than others thought you would but I," a servo reached out, cupping his face, "I never doubted you for a moment."

Bumblebee shuddered, caught between revulsion and the need for comfort after what he had done. "They will not want you now, soldier. They have seen you kill and attack your own without mercy." The fingers rubbed his battle mask affectionately and his frame did not tremble, whether from emotional exhaustion or simply giving up Bumblebee was too drained to really care. "Such a good docile Stingray," the fingers tapped their way down the scout's arm. "You could even be mine, Stingray, if you wanted. Everything that made you who you were has been destroyed; the weakness and impurities have been expunged. You have reformed into perfection; no one will stop you from doing his will now, not even you. You are not alone, Stingray, I am here and soon there will be others."

Bumblebee started to awake from his daze, blinking in his prison as he remembered all that this monster was connected to those who had put the scout in this nightmarish situation.

"He wants bring them all together: human and robot into a unified coexistence with each other. I was skeptical that it would work, but now here you are. You were but the first, the prototype if you will, but now that I have the evidence that it works I will help him bring the world under our heel. You will help me bend every robot to my rule and as for the humans, we will need a test subject to try out the organic slave coding, yet I don't doubt they too will submit." The mech had reached Bumblebee's left hand, a finger sliding open so that a thin shaped rod could attach to the wiring at the wrist.

Bumblebee stared at the words that appeared in the left hand corner of his optics. He had mobility, just enough to take a step forward or back.

"Will you help me find a suitable human subject for testing?" The free hand traveled down Bumblebee's chest plates, rubbing gently at the scratched plating as if trying to soothe. "All you have to do is take a step forward and you will have your frame back into your control, you will no longer be subjected to those insects' handling you, I will protect you." The mech grinned, "Just take a step forward and you will become my lieutenant, your injuries will be healed and your tank filled with sweet energon. What do you say, Stingray?"

Bumblebee was waking from his daze, the words the mech spoke echoing in his processor. He could step forward or back, accept the offering or refuse it. Refusal obviously would bring pain but he had no guarantee that accepting would bring all that the mech promised. However, there was another thing that caused Bumblebee's spark to stutter with fear.

A human test subject, MECH wanted a human test subject! They wanted him to bring them a human to test their code on. To Bumblebee that translated as one thing: they wanted Raf! He may not be an Autobot any more, he may be a murderer and no better than a Decepticon but he would not condemn his little brother to this nightmare!

_No_! Shaking with denial, Bumblebee took his single step back, immediately feeling the loss of control over his frame, and the mech wasted no time in hitting him in the helm. Without any orders to regain his footing, Bumblebee fell to the floor with an echoing crash and stayed put.

"Get up!" Bumblebee obeyed, only to be knocked down again and again. Fingers that had once been gentle were now claws, tearing at his plating and leaving a trail of deep scratch marks that had Bumblebee been human would have made him look like he had been dragged through a thorn bush. When he was down kicks would land at his midsection, the thick peds stomping down on him and with no orders to shield defend himself Bumblebee could do nothing to defend himself from injury. His inner sensors flashed across his optics in alarm, warning him that the plating protecting his fuel tank was horribly dented inwards by now and a breach into his tank was highly probable.

Thankfully, the bigger mech tired of his game and stepped back as Bumblebee's frame shook on the floor.

"Get up and stack all those crates on the other side of the room, and move slowly!"

Bumblebee got up and set to work while the other watched him. "You go on another mission tomorrow, and again and again until you realize that refusing me was the worst thing you could have done! The humans can do whatever they want now, I will not stop them." The mech smiled at Bumblebee, who moved slowly with a crate to the other side of the room. "Seeing you break will be more fun than I originally thought."

Tucked away inside his mental prison, Bumblebee curled up and wept. He did not dare to use his memories of Raf to act as a barrier between himself and the horror he had done. His mind was no longer safe with the other mech here, Silas could use this ally to form an interface with Bumblebee's medical port and access his processor.

To save his little brother, Bumblebee used every fiber of his will to draw all his memories of Raf together. Once all the files were gathered he locked them down to a medic's access only, protecting Raf to the best of his ability that he could at this point. Once the process was done all he could remember was seeking to protect someone but no longer being able to recollect whom.

{_Nemesis_}

Soundwave moved before Megatron and the Decepticon leader turned to him. "What is it?"

On Soundwave's visor appeared a picture and Megatron leaned forward to see it better. It was a film, showing a 'bot with black and blue armor destroying a human base and then being tackled by the Autobot Bulkhead. Megatron narrowed his optics at seeing the glaring red optics of the unknown attacker.

"That is not one of mine," he growled. "Backtrack every occurrence, see if this is his first target and anticipate his next. The Autobots are clearly unable to solve this themselves and I will not have us framed by this mech's actions!"

**Decepticons: 5**

**Autobots: 3**


	10. Megatron Connects the Dots

**AN: Thanks for the reviews! **

**Starfire201: Welcome and thanks for the review! **

**Igeegeei and Asher Tye: Here's where you get to see what Megatron is going to do about it. The human causalities kind of distracted Arcee and Bulkhead, and being angry at the Decepticon thrashing they were given on the **_**Nemesis**_** only helped fuel their need to beat something up. Also, Bulkhead was the closest to the controlled Bumblebee and he's not the brightest of the bunch so no ground bridge could just mean that the Decepticon wanted to be farther away before gating out, after all you don't want the enemy following you do you?**

**What happens in this chapter? Megatron gets royally ticked off and decides to do something about it.**

{_Nemesis_}

Megatron was awakened from recharge by a ping from Soundwave. He rose out of his berth and stretched to unkink any wiring that may have bunched up during the night. Recharging in alt mode was more realistic if a mech wanted to avoid wiring bunching up but during this time of war and uncertainly it was safer to recharge in bipedal mode.

On his way to the bridge Megatron ran into Knockout. The medic fell into step with Megatron and they looked briefly at each other before continuing on to the bridge.

"Soundwave pinged you too, my lord?" Knockout asked and Megatron could hear the curiosity in his voice. Soundwave never requested the stuck-up medic's presence and had to be ordered by Megatron to go to the medical bay for the monthly routine diagnostic as the communications/security officer would not go on his own.

"Yes, it appears that your expertise is required as well as mine."

"Indeed, Lord Megatron, but I must confess I have been so busy during the off-time you've provided us with my own," Knockout searched for a word to describe his illegal street racing, "pursuits that I'm afraid I have no idea what project Soundwave is currently working on."

"The mystery of the unknown attacker on a human military base."

"And this concerns us how, my lord?"

Megatron turned to glare at the medic, "The attacker obliterated the base and most of its personnel, all the while appearing to be a Decepticon and escaped the Autotbots who were sent to deal with him."

"Starscream?" Knockout guessed but Megatron shook his head.

"The mech was a grounder and Soundwave reports Starscream is still nursing his wounds from our last bout."

"Hmm, a puzzle then, my lord," Knockout said and they entered the bridge.

Soundwave was at a screen, his tentacles operating the various buttons while information flashed across the system faster than even Megatron or Knockout could keep up. This was why Soundwave was such a valued asset to the Decepticon cause; his ability to process information and keep track of millions of data and communication lines was legendary. Soundwave had only had one real nemesis, and that was the human child, Rafael Esquivel, who the third-in-command would very much like to meet in a non-combative environment. This was a wish that he kept secret even from his drones; they could be such jealous little creatures after all.

"Soundwave, report," Megatron ordered.

Soundwave turned to them to acknowledge the order before looking back at the screen before him. He played the video of the attack on the Army base in Juneau, Alaska, letting Knockout see it for the first time. Knockout had seen devastation many times during his thousand years but the utter execution of the human soldiers by the mech left his spark constricting. Not even the Decepticons had unleashed such destruction on this planet and, the medic admitted privately to himself, seeing the little, fragile forms be incinerated was not a pretty picture.

Soundwave then brought up a map of Northern America, zooming in to highlight two areas. One was the Army base Knockout had just seen destroyed, the other was an air base where the computers had been hacked and a picture of a zooming car breaking through the gate was the only evidence of the intruder. Soundwave drew a line from one base to the other, and then drew a third line to another spot as a possible target.

"I know the picture is primitive technology but can you enhance it to some degree to compare it the Army base's attacker?" Megatron requested.

Soundwave brought the picture up on the screen and worked at it. Megatron and Knockout waited patiently as the pixels were enhanced and sharpened so that the image could be better seen. The medic gasped at the end result while Megatron narrowed his eyes.

Knockout would have known that car mode anywhere, even if it were painted a different color as it was. "Bumblebee."

Megatron looked at Knockout before turning to Soundwave. He did not have to give the order as his TIC(third-in-command) was already bringing up the file on Bumblebee. Measuring the Autobot's scout frame in one screen, Soundwave brought up the base's attacker on another and measured it as well. Pushing both images together all three Decepticons could see the match, even if the fake Decepticon's frame was slightly off due to the alt mode being different.

"Autobot fools," Megatron growled, "none of you will make the connection." The Decepticon leader looked at his communications officer and medic, "What could make a mech turn against his faction and become a ruthless killer?"

Knockout and Soundwave briefly looked at each other before the silent mech hung his head and the medic shook his own viciously. "But it would be impossible for the coding to have been introduced to his system. We eradicated it, you killed the ones who made it and every mech who has joined our ranks has been screened and heavily firewalled against anything remotely like it. He could not have been infected, Lord Megatron."

"Are you certain?" Megatron looked out the port window at the stars, "What other explanation is there? You know the Autobot scout, Knockout, you have had the most run-ins with him. Tell me, is he such a one to turn against Optimus Prime and slaughter the race of one that is his ward?"

Knockout's exhaust system huffed and his fans turned on to cool down his frame. "No, he is every inch an Autobot, blindly loyal because that is how he has been raised. I cannot see him changing his paintjob or alt mode voluntarily, he is more prone to speed than to destruction."

"Then there is no other explanation." Megatron pinged Dreadwing to report to the bridge immediately. "Ready the medical bay, you are on standby until further notice. Soundwave, be ready to activate a ground bridge to that area immediately when he strikes. The Autobots will most likely try to come to us so we must be prepared. I want the shield frequencies on an ever-changing loop so that Prime cannot get on board as he did last time. We are the only ones who know how to deal with a mech under the influence of the slave coding and it can best be dealt with here, the Autobots will only get in the way so as soon as Bumblebee is brought onto the ship move the _Nemesis_ away from Earth."

"Lord Megatron," Knockout piped up. "Who could be responsible for such an act of violation?"

Megatron looked down at Earth, "An enemy that both Prime and I have treated far too lightly. I began to think of them as a threat when we recovered Breakdown but felt it would be better for Optimus to deal with them since he did call them humanity's version of us Decepticons. Obviously, I was mistaken that he could handle the situation, even after those despicable humans tarnished Prime's name with their abomination."

"You mean…" Knockout could not finish his sentence, the violence done to his partner, Breakdown, still a gaping wound in his spark no matter how hard he tried not to show it.

"Yes," Megatron looked at the picture that Soundwave provided, one of an adult human male whose face was adorned with scars. "Silas."

**AN: So, is Megatron angry? Or is he angry? Also, for those who requested Knockout did you like his entrance? If you thought he might have been a tad too serious just remember, when it comes to slave coding there is no room for humor.**


	11. Stingray's Third Mission

**Chapter Summary: Bumblebee's third mission for MECH, and Megatron has good timing. **

When Bumblebee emerged from his catatonic state he became aware of the warning light flashing to the side of his optics.

**Energon levels reaching depletion!**

**Advise refuel immediately!**

**Systems overheating: recharge required.**

He could not recharge unless Silas let him and he could not refuel under the same condition. Soon his systems would force stasis lock in order to preserve his life, this nightmare would soon be over. Even stasis lock would only work for so long, he would have about a few months before his spark would not have enough energy to keep him alive.

"_Transform into vehicle mode and head to the elevator,_" Silas' voice ordered in his audio and Bumblebee's frame groaned with effort as he transformed. He was not sure which mode he would rather be in when stasis lock was enforced, both of them had been abused by Silas but the 'bot was sure that he hated his alt mode the most.

Once topside he was again loaded in the trailer and driven away. Bumblebee sagged on his wheels, his mind was his last line of defense against Silas and he could not allow the human nor his Cybertronian accomplice to get to him as he had almost allowed then to last night. Numbing himself to keep whatever flimsy control he could over his emotions seemed his only option now. He had killed many humans yesterday, he could still feel their blood coating his gears, what would killing a few more mean?

Bumblebee shook his head angrily. What kind of soldier was he? He had not lasted a day under Silas's verbal manipulation, his mind was already going down the avenue the human wanted him to go. Was he going insane? Had he lost his grip on sanity fighting a battle he had no hope of winning?

"_Drive south until I tell you to stop Stingray_," ordered Silas and Bumblebee's engine started and he was off.

When Bumblebee was finally ordered to stop he could not believe his sensors. Silas had him facing an airport where he could see a jet plane landing and another prepping to leave. Civilians! Yesterday had been soldiers, men who had had some idea at least that going to work meant the possibility of not coming home, but these were people on their way to see family or returning home from a business trip, or going on a vacation. Men, women and children.

Bumblebee had not thought it possible for Silas to drag him any lower but he had been wrong. Once again he was underestimated the human and it had cost him to not be prepared for what was to happen. Who was he kidding? There was no way to prepare for the massacre of non-combatants.

"_Stingray, at full speed you will run through the fence, transform and throw that truck at the nearest jet. Move now_." Bumblebee gunned his engine and left a trail of smoke behind him as he charged through the fence, scratching his body some more. Like watching a movie, Bumblebee saw his hand grab the truck and throw it into the plane that was about to take off.

The vehicle hit a turbine and the jet exploded on the runway. Charging his blasters, Bumblebee fired on the other jets and hanger bays as per Silas' orders. The airport's ground crews screamed around him as they tried to run away but a few blasts in their direction ceased all moving.

"_Aim at the airport's terminal with both blasters_." Bumblebee could see the people through the window, some frozen in fear and others fleeing for their lives. The idiots who whipped out their cell phones or cameras to film what was happening outside, not knowing that where they stood was next.

Bumblebee brought his arms up and primed his blasters. Silas ordered him to step forward, so that the humans inside would know that death was approaching, but two steps forward Bumblebee stumbled. His blasters powered down with a low hum.

"_What is going on? Stingray! Fire at the building now_!"

Bumblebee's frame tried to obey but his blasters would not charge.

**Energon depleted: refuel immediately!**

The warning flashed at the bottom of his optics and Bumblebee smiled inside. It was almost over; the nightmare was almost over. Just a few more minutes and the energon that had been rerouted from powering his blasters to give his form mobility would be gone as well.

"_Run at the building and smash it down_!" Silas screamed in his audios and Bumblebee's systems whirled as he prepared to obey. "_Wait, what is that? Stingray turn around!"_

Bumblebee turned around and saw a green swirl of light closing. A ground bridge had been opened to this area, and the aircraft hurtling toward him quickly identified who had been deposited. Bumblebee was completely stunned and welcomed the impact with open arms.

Megatron transformed and grabbed Bumblebee, smashing him hard into the ground. "_Fight back_!" echoed in his audios and Bumblebee changed his blasters into his servos, curling them to punch at the Decepticon leader. Though he was driven by Silas' command, Bumblebee's movements were sluggish as his form was running on energon fumes now.

The Decepticon easily grabbed Bumblebee's hands in one servo and used his peds to pin down the scout's legs. "_Stingray! Do not cease moving! Fight him off_!" But Silas's orders were useless as Megatron reached behind Bumblebee's head, a finger sliding beneath the neck joints to hit the manual stasis-lock button.

Megatron stood up and glanced briefly at the humans he had saved. Most of them had fled; only the building's security personnel and a few I-wouldn't-know-danger-if-it-hit-me types had remained to watch the robot fight. They were staring at him with a mixture of awe and fear upon their faces and he snorted before turning away from them.

He scanned the small form at his feet and, upon finding that there were recording and audio devices on the smaller mech, he grinned maliciously. "Wherever you are, human, I will find you and make you pay for daring to touch one of my people." Then he destroyed the devices in the scout's audios as well as the one on the helm before hoisting the younger Cybertronian's inert form over a shoulder. Looking at the burning planes and destroyed hangers, Megatron sighed before turning back to the humans.

"The Decepticons were not responsible for this devastation." He was not sure why he said it, it certainly was not out of love for the little fleshling creatures. Moving away from them, Megatron activated his comm, "Soundwave, activate the ground bridge. Tell Dreadwing to prepare to move the _Nemesis_ away, and make sure Knockout has the medbay ready to receive wounded."

**Current faction voting stats:**

**Decepticons: 6**

**Autobots: 3**


	12. Restoring Control

**Chapter Summary: Control is restored but the battle is hardly over yet.**

Megatron stared down at the small mech on the table in the medical bay. The scanner above Bumblebee was running back and forth, displaying the results on a screen near where the scout lay. Knockout was watching the screen, doing his best not to look at the Autobot while he tried to keep his tone professional.

Since even before Knockout had become chief medical officer on the _Nemesis_, the racer had seen his quota of ghastly injuries. Bumblebee's wounds got labeled on the list of injuries that Knockout wished he never saw again. It was not so much the scratches or dents in his plating, those Knockout dealt with on a regular basis, but the deep gouge marks around the medical port made his frame shudder.

Seeing the opened medical port had been the first thing Knockout had focused on once Megatron had set Bumblebee down on the table. The repair of the medical port was the first thing Knockout had sent his instruments after, for no internal diagnosis could be done without the port repaired.

"Knockout," Megatron growled, "what is your assessment?"

"Stasis lock would have been enacted before you did so anyway, Lord Megatron," Knockout answered. "His tank has been drained dry of energon and he has not recharged for the past thirty-nine hours. His frame would have eventually shut down in order to preserve itself."

"But not soon enough," Megatron whispered.

"Indeed, my lord. His frame is covered with deep scratches and dents, and a scorch mark on the shoulder where that big lug, Bulkhead, shot him. As you see I had to remove the protective plating over his fuel tank in order to get the dents out of it, whoever gave him a beating very nearly breached his fuel tank. However, the worst injury is the…" Knockout trailed off, looking at the area that must have caused Bumblebee more pain than anything else MECH or the green Autobot had thrown at him.

Megatron's red optics glowed with anger and he fought to restrain himself from smashing any of the delicate instruments in the room. "Apart from humiliating him, what reason would they have had to open the medical port? What technology could the humans have used to access the port?"  
>"I believe, Lord Megatron," responded Knockout, "that is, if my scans are correct, that MECH used that area to download the slave code into his system. And the tool they used was either not originally made for such a connection or it was not meant for a smaller mech, perhaps both."<p>

Megatron looked startled and Knockout did not blame him, he was startled too. On Cybertron the slave code had been introduced to mechs and femmes via a chip that was implanted into the processor. Thereby making the mind and frame both under the slave owner's control. To have a code downloaded through the medical port would not have had any effect on Bumblebee's processor, meaning only his frame had been under MECH control.

"His processor is intact?" Megatron asked, and Knockout could understand the growing horror in his leader.

"It is, Lord Megatron." Bumblebee's consciousness was untouched, his memory files undamaged. He had not been memory wiped or reprogrammed to do Silas' bidding, the scout had been aware of everything that had gone on around him. "The humans separated his frame's functions from his processor. He could still think on his own, feel anything through his nervous system and see what was going on. His frame is not only scratched and dented but filled with dirt, I am running samples from I collected to see if we can pinpoint MECH's base, just incase you wanted to find them. There is the blood of course all over his peds, most likely from that Army base, Silas didn't wash him off at all."

Megatron tapped a few controls on the wall to cycle the airflow through the medical bay. "That much is obvious from the smell. If squashing humans did not send their organic fluids everywhere I would gladly crush Silas with one hand. However," Megatron looked down at the unconscious Bumblebee, "his punishment must be something much more lasting and painful for this violation. What is the first step, Knockout?"

Knockout reached for Bumblebee's chest plates and moved them slightly before pushing a finger in. "First I will activate his regeneration program and seal any energon leaks. Then I will have to," Knockout cleared his throat unnecessarily, "manually fill his tank with energon. Once that's done I can set about searching for the slave code and erasing it, but it would probably be best if he were active for that since I will have to do a cortical psychic patch and it would be best if he saw someone entering rather then someone randomly showing up in his processor. I shall ask for a volunteer to help me in connecting with Bumblebee so as to have another set of servos in finding the code."

"So be it. Set about his repairs and there is no need in asking for a volunteer, I will be on the other end of the cortical psychic patch."

"Lord Megatron, are you sure?"

"The scout and I have shared this experience before, it would better if someone more familiar with his processor were to do it so as to make it faster and less painful. Besides," Megatron placed a hand on Bumblebee's shoulder, a finger scrapping across the MECH symbol emblazoned there, "I would like some time to talk to the scout."

"As you wish, Lord Megatron."

{Autobot base}

Sideswipe glanced down at the sleeping human in his hand. Raf's sleep cycle had been almost non-existent since Bumblebee had been taken. The Twins were just happy to get him into a peaceful recharge, never mind if it was at the wrong time of the day for humans to sleep. Nightmares had plagued the boy's dreams and the two newcomers and learned that keeping Raf cupped closely to a spark chamber, where he could feel the rhythmic pulse comforting him, kept away these night terrors and the boy could get a restful sleep.

"Why are they called nightmares anyway?" Sunstreaker asked, his back to Sideswipe so he could not see what his twin was working on. "And don't tell me to Google it, that's all those two other squishes tell me to do when I ask them to explain something." Sideswipe snorted, "What?"

"More like demand them to explain something. Plus, I don't think Miko likes you."

"Why not? Because I messed with her stereo system after she played that thing so loud I thought my audios would burn out? Can't see how Bulkhead can put up with that. Guess we were lucky getting the one squishy who doesn't need a lift to work and is quiet and well behaved."

Sideswipe ran a comforting finger down Raf's back, cooing softly as the boy nuzzled closer to his chest plates. "He is pretty adorable, huh? Can't fathom how this species has survived with such soft bodies, their world is certainly harsh in some areas." Sunstreaker muttered something that sounded like 'still squishy', "I was reading the other day about how much the human body can endure, even without the proper training to do so, it's amazing."

"If you say so," Sunstreaker said, and Sideswipe could hear the sounds of an airbrush.

"What are you doing over there? Does it have anything to do with wanting Raf's yellow shirt?"

"Patience, Sides, all in good time."

"You have a lot of nerve talking about patience, Sunny."

"Done." Sunstreaker turned around, holding Raf's yellow shirt carefully between two fingers. Sideswipe grinned when he saw the blue Autobot symbol on the chest of the shirt.

"Nice." Sideswipe's comm buzzed and he tapped the side of his helm, "Yes?"

"_Sideswipe_," said Ratchet, "_I need you to bring Rafael to the main room right now_."

"What is it Ratchet? Raf's only been sleeping for an hour, I'd like him to sleep for a few more so unless it's—"

"_There's been another attack, this time on a civilian airport, I need Rafael's expertise to use the satellites to help me look for the _Nemesis."

"Ratchet," Sunstreaker joined the comm chat. "Doesn't your liaison have access to military operatives who are computer experts?"

"_Well, yes, but_—"

"Then get them to help you, no one is waking the little squishy up until he's fully rested. And if you try to come here I will stop you."

Sideswipe frowned as the line was broken off. "The Hatchet sure has been quite testy since we got here, Sunny."

"I noticed that, Sides."

{_Nemesis_}

Dreadwing stood on the bridge, overlooking their flight as the ship moved swiftly away from Earth. Since the Decepticons were not going near the spacebridge or any of the other planets the Autobots would be unable to follow. The seeker looked to the left, where Soundwave was busy working at his station. As per Megatron's instructions, the communications officer was deleting or obscuring any images or videos that the humans had taken at the wrecked airport.

Not that Megatron was worried about exposure; if he had been then he would have finished what the Autobot scout had started back at that airport. Neither Dreadwing nor Soundwave were certain why Megatron wanted the evidence destroyed but they were not about to question their leader so foolishly as had been Starscream's wont. Soundwave tilted his head slightly, to look at the spot where the crazed seeker had killed Cliffjumper.

That had been a senseless killing, but Soundwave, like the Vehicons, had kept silent and done Starscream's bidding. Of course Soundwave had done what he could to thwart any plans of the former second-in-command, all the while cataloging everything to be shown to Megatron upon his return. The Decepticons had had their ups and downs since this war had started hundreds of years ago, even Megatron had had his crazed moments but things were finally coming together it seemed.

While Dreadwing and Soundwave carried out Megatron's orders, the Decepticon leader and Knockout were busy in the medical bay. Megatron, much to the medic's surprise, had lent a hand in helping seal and patch the mangled medical port and had taken it upon himself to hook up the energon cable to refuel Bumblebee's tank. It had been an unpleasant task, one Knockout had done to unconscious mechs before and never would he have thought the Decepticon leader would lower himself to carrying out such an unwanted task. Knockout had been doubly relieved when he had finally been able to take a step back and look at the newly healed frame. There was still a lot that needed to be done, Bumblebee would need his frame sanded down, wash up and then get a new painting, as well as a chance to change his alt mode back to its original form, but Knockout was satisfied that for now the scout would be all right.

Knockout moved Bumblebee's head, ready to take him out of stasis lock, but looked up at Megatron. "Lord Megatron, would it not be better to inform the Autobots that we have their scout?"

"An excellent plan, Knockout," the medic did not have to be a genius to hear the sarcasm in Megatron's voice. "Hello Prime, we have your scout, yes the same one you accused us of taking, and are about to erase a slave code that was making him serve Silas and kill humans. What's that? Yes, there is such a thing as a slave code, the Council of Peace ordered Iaconian scientists to make it in order to subject newly formed mechs and femmes from the All Spark into a willing servitude populace. You don't believe me? How strange."

Megatron and Knockout looked at each other for a few seconds before the medic returned his attention to Bumblebee. "I see your point, Lord Megatron. Although, I cannot say for certain if the code is Cybertronian or human at this point."

Megatron waved a hand, "It amounts to the same thing."

Knockout moved his finger between Bumblebee's neck joints and brought the 'bot out of stasis. For a few seconds the newly onlined blue optics stared uncomprehendingly as energon was pumped through the exhausted frame, but then Bumblebee started to thrash against his restraints. Knockout realized that Bumblebee was trying to punch and kick them but the heavy metal clamps prevented him from doing so.

"Bumblebee calm down!" Knockout tried.

"It is no use," Megatron said. "He is, no doubt, still listening to Silas' last set of orders. Prepare the cortical psychic patch, we must get started as soon as possible."

Knockout took the cable that was to go in Bumblebee's medical port and he could swear that he saw the little 'bot's eyes widen in fear. "I know you have little reason to trust me, Bumblebee, I'd be the same if our situation was reversed, but trust me when I say that this is will hurt you. We're going to help you."

Knockout inserted the cable and Megatron wasted no time pushing the other end into his own medical port. "So it begins."

**AN: This was hard to write, just trying to get these characters to say what I need them to say but not lose their way of speaking. Ugh! It was hard, but I guess I can label any changes to their characters by saying "Hey, it's Fanfiction, it wouldn't be any fun reading if it's what we already know."**


	13. I'm no Autobot

**Chapter Summary: The Autobots finally get a clue, Megatron discovers an old enemy**

{Autobot base}

"I don't believe it," Ratchet said, checking his monitors once more. "Optimus, the _Nemesis_ is not showing up on any of the scanning equipment."

"Explain Ratchet," Optimus said, while he, Arcee and Bulkhead moved closer to where the medic stood.

"We should be able to pick up something, an energy displacement if they're in stealth mode or a signal off their shields, but there's nothing."

"Have you tried looking for an ion trail, Ratchet?" The three Cybertronians turned to see the Twins standing in the doorway, Raf sitting in Sideswipe's hand and wearing Sunstreaker's gift.

"There would only be an ion trail if the _Nemesis_ were using its sub-light engines but they would only be using those if they were leaving the system," Ratchet argued.

"Ratchet," Optimus said, after seeing Raf's face that was as closely mirrored by the Twins as Cyebrtronians could do. "Check for an ion trail."

Ratchet grumbled but obeyed and was surprised to find a trail leading away from Earth.

"Yay! Go Raf!" cried Miko, earning disapproving looks from the Twins.

"The Decepticons have left Earth," Optimus said, unable to keep the incredulity out of his voice.

"They must be plotting something, Optimus," Ratchet said, "why else would they leave?"

The Autobots were silent and Raf turned away from them. He could feel Sideswipe's hand curl protectively around him and the mech hummed lowly. "Forget about the 'Cons," the voice growled and other Autobots turned to look in surprise at Sunstreaker. The yellow mech was usually the last to even think of backing off the Decepticons but in this instant he was all for letting go.

"Going after the 'Cons hasn't brought us any closer to Bumblebee, and we need to focus on finding him then worrying about what the stinkin' 'Cons are up to!"

"And where do you suggest that we start?" Ratchet asked sarcastically.

"First," said Sideswipe, "we are taking Raf out to help us choose alt modes. While we're out why don't the rest of you think about who could have taken 'Bee."

The Twins were gone in a flash and the rest just stood there. "I'llgotoo, Ineedanaltmodeaswell." Blurr followed the Twins and Ratchet turned to Optimus.

"You could have ordered them to stay. In fact, if you had ordered them to let Raf help me earlier we would have discovered that the _Nemesis_ was gone much sooner."

"Ratchet, the Twins have little respect for authority, as you well know, but their sparks are in the right place. They are taking their temporary guardianship of Raf very seriously, and I would have been out of my jurisdiction in ordering them to allow Raf in helping you. I am a Prime, I may be a leader of the Autobot military faction but I have no authority in interfering between a guardian and his ward."

"What about MECH?" Jack asked, Arcee had picked him from work half an hour ago and he had been drafted by Miko to help her fix her stereo system.

"We trashed them a year ago, Jack," said Arcee, "and Silas was buried underneath a lot of rubble."

"I know that," said Jack, "but his body wasn't found. Look at the other times we thought he was dead and he wasn't."

Ratchet waved a hand dismissively, "The planning and equipment it would take to pull off such a thing would be—"

"Possible," said Arcee. "Look at when they stole Bumblebee's T-Cog, or made an alliance with Arachnid and had me strapped down ready for dissection." She dropped her head, "Look at what happened with Breakdown. Admit it Ratchet, we were only too happy to point fingers at the Decepticons but we've been wrong all along."

"Agent Fowler," Optimus said, touching the side of his helm, "we need any reports of MECH activity or rumors you may have heard of them still being active. No, I received nothing about— I see, thank you for informing me."

"Optimus, you can't seriously—"

"Several of the human survivors from the airport attack have described Megatron's frame as being one of the mechs there. They all swear that after he took down the mech who was attacking he turned to the humans and told them that the Decepticons were not responsible."

"Of course he would say that, he's a Decepticon!" Ratchet shouted.

"No," Optimus said, raising a hand to rub against his helm and wondering why there was a growing ache in his processor. "There is much more going on than we previously thought."

{_Nemesis_ - medical bay}

Megatron took a second to orient himself before he looked around. He was standing in a lab type room with human sized equipment. In the middle of the room was the Autobot scout, trapped in a metal cage in which Bumblebee was pacing.

"We meet again, little scout." Bumblebee froze and turned to face Megatron, "Only this time, Autobot, the situation is quite different, isn't it?"

Bumblebee shook his head, "I'm no Autobot."

Megatron paused and then narrowed his eyes. "Then Silas has already won." Bumblebee looked up, startled, "You've given up just because you witnessed and were forced to take part in massacring members of a race you swore to protect. You see yourself as weak, pathetic next to those of your faction who still uphold their oaths. You have deemed yourself unworthy of following Prime's command since you allowed yourself to be compromised and no longer considered an asset to the Autobot cause."

"How—? How do you know?" Bumblebee whispered disbelievingly.

"You are not the first, Bumblebee, who has had his frame turned against himself. Do not think that you are the only one who has fallen victim to a slave code."

"_Lord Megatron_," Knockout's voice came in through the inner com. "_The slave code has become aware of your presence and is enroute to your location_. _It will most likely try to use the cortical psychic patch to gain control of your body_."

"Acknowledged, Knockout." Megatron glanced briefly at the imprisoned Autobot before taking a firm stance in front of the door, "We will continue this conversation after I have dealt with this pestilence, little scout."

Bumblebee watched with wide eyes as Megatron stepped between the barrier of the processor and frame. The scout could see the glowing green slave coding hurling itself toward the Decepticon leader and Bumblebee was surprised to find himself worried for Megatron. His fear was unfounded as Knockout was not sleeping at his post and the combined efforts of Megatron and Knockout halted the coding mere inches away from the Decepticon leader.

Megatron scanned the coding, as Knockout was doing from his console. "_As unbelievable as it sounds, Lord Megatron," _Knockout said, "_the coding appears to have a Cybertronian base with human reformatting over it_."

"So it appears, Knockout." Megatron felt his anger steadily rising, who ever had been careless in letting something like this fall into human hands would certainly meet their end at his hands. "Are you ready to pull the coding from the scout's systems?"

"_Yes, my lord, one moment_." Megatron stood aside so that Bumblebee could see the slave code warp before shrinking until it was gone. "_Download complete. As soon as you exit Bumblebee's mind I will do a fuller boot of his systems so that any trace of the coding will be erased for good_."

"Acknowledged." Megatron walked over to where Bumblebee was still trapped inside the cage. Pushing one servo between the bars, the Decepticon lord grinned at the youngling, "Take my servo, little scout, this prison is but of your making now. This is your processor, pick a place to rest and all will be normal once you online."

Bumblebee hesitated a brief second before accepting Megatron's hand. The Decepticon pulled him and Bumblebee found the prison and room blurring before disappearing. Blankness surrounded Megatron and Bumblebee as the scout had no idea what memory file to access while he recharged.

"I'm sure you have plenty memories of your human charge to give you comfort," Megatron said. "Pick one and I will leave."

"Who?" Bumblebee asked, confusion written all over his faceplate as he turned to the Decepticon leader.

Megatron's eyebrows went up, "You do not remember Rafael Esquivel?"

"Who's that?" Bumblebee wracked his processor, but his memory files were coming up blank. Shrugging off Megatron's servo, Bumblebee selected his memory files of when he saw the aurora borealis for the first time. Happily, he let the lights surround him and did not notice when Megatron turned and left.

Once the cortical psychic patch had been disconnected, Megatron stood and looked down at the recharging form of Bumblebee. "Knockout, while you are checking his systems for any remaining sign on the coding look for any signs of tampering with his memory files of his human. He had no recollection of him."

"And if I find them, Lord Megatron?" Knockout asked.

Megatron halted on his way out of the medical bay, "Notify me. Meanwhile, I shall take the disk with the coding to Soundwave for analysis. Once we know everyone involved in making it I shall destroy it."

Knockout turned back to his patient as Megatron left. "Well, Little 'Bee, it's just you and I now. Shall I get to work then?" Bumblebee was silent, obviously, and Knockout set to work. "Excellent. First a systems check and then I'll get around to cleaning and repairing your minor injuries, but I'll save the bath for when you wake, shall I? Yes, I dare say—" Knockout froze, having pulled aside some of Bumblebee's chest plating to check on his healing progress, and he stared at what he found. "Now, let's see what this—" Knockout tilted his helm, wondering at first how gouge marks had gotten inside Bumblebee but then he realized that the marks were actually human words and he glanced up at the recharging scout. "Lord Megatron does not have to know about this, Bumblebee, I know you would not want anyone to know."

Up on the bridge Soundwave turned as Megatron entered the room. "Soundwave, I have the code, are you prepared to run an analysis?"

Soundwave nodded and moved a computer, one separate from the systems of the _Nemesis_ to prevent the slave code from infecting the ship in case it got loose. The communications officer took the disk from Megatron and inserted it into the computer. The code appeared on the screen and Soundwave got to work separating the various strings to reach the base of the coding in order to study that first.

"Wait," Megatron said, "enhance that string of code on the right." Soundwave did so and Megatron took a second to digest the writing before roaring in anger, "NO!"

The Vehicons jumped at their stations and Dreadwing stepped forward. "Lord Megatron, what is it?"

Megatron looked at the coding in disgust, "I know who wrote that slave code, and I swear before all of you that _he_," the Decepticon leader spat, "will not go unpunished!"

**AN: Who wrote the code? Any ideas? I narrowed the field down a little bit for you guys by identifying the culprit as a mech, so have fun.**

**Decepticons: 6**

**Autobots: 3**


	14. Bumblebee Wakes

**Chapter Summary: Bumblebee fully wakes up on the **_**Nemesis**_**. **

{_Nemesis_}

The bridge was silent following Megatron's declaration. The Vehicons looked blankly at each other before Dreadwing led them in a salute, "Hail Megatron!" echoed through the room. Megatron acknowledged them, waving them back to work before looking at Soundwave.

"We cannot afford to lose a moment, Soundwave, we do not know how deep he has entrenched himself in this system." Soundwave brought up the picture of a mech on his visor, "Yes, that is who I mean." Soundwave then played several images of Megatron killing the mech. "Yes, I thought I had killed him, but I shall not make that mistake again. Dreadwing, double the patrols throughout the ship, no one goes anywhere alone, and Soundwave will make entirely new security codes and lock down vital parts of the ship to top personnel access only. Then, Soundwave, you must work with Knockout on building a defense program against this slave code and any that will bear his signature. This was but a prototype, he will modify now that we have freed the Autobot scout." Megatron gazed out the port window, his posture stiff as dark memories stirred in his processor, "We cannot underestimate him, nor the human: Silas. Such actions in the past have only left us vulnerable for an attack such as this."

Soundwave brought up the Autobot symbol on his visor, indicating the team on Earth not the one currently in the Decepticon medical bay. "Yes, they are unaware of the danger but Prime would not believe me if I told him. The council made sure of that. When we have a defense program established I shall make contact with Optimus, until then, carry out my orders."

"_Lord Megatron_?" Knockout's voice came over the intercom system. "_I have found what you charged me to find and I am also ready to bring Bumblebee out of recharge_."

"Very well, Knockout, I am on my way."

Knockout disconnected his equipment from Bumblebee and tapped a finger against the restraints. It would probably be better to leave those on until the scout acknowledged that they were not going to hurt him. Yes, they did not need Bumblebee to be jumping around the medical bay like a panicked sparkling and most likely scratch up the now unblemished plates.

The medic had sanded all the scratches, revealing Bumblebee's silver-plating underneath the paint, but he had refrained from getting rid of the unflattering paintjob all together. For one Bumblebee still needed a thorough run through the washer before the unwanted paintjob could be scraped off and second, no way was Knockout going to do anything to the mech without his say so, unless it pertained to the scout's continued health.

Megatron entered the medical bay and surveyed the recharging Bumblebee for a second. The scout's frame had improved greatly since he had first been brought on board but he was by no means fully recovered. The ex-gladiator knew, better than anyone, the inner scars that would not heal as quickly as the outer tears.

"What did you find, Knockout?"

"While accessing Bumblebee's main frame I came across two locked files. Both were keyed to medical release codes only, which immediately caught my attention. As you can see, one was for his battle mask, I hazard a guess that he locked it in place prior to the slave code being introduced to his system. The second was a folder of memory files, all of his human ward."

"He locked those memories away were not even he could touch them?"

"Correct, Lord Megatron. This lock was done only a few hours before you took him." Megatron's eyes showed his unease at the revelation, "Yes, something happened after the slave code was downloaded into his system, while he was still in Silas' clutches, that made him do the one thing he could do in his present state to protect the boy."

Megatron folded his arms across his chest, "Do you think he has sufficiently recharged?"

"Given the time his systems have had to rest since you forced stasis lock on him I would say yes, Lord Megatron."

"Wake him then."

Knockout brushed a finger gently between the front neck wires and Bumblebee's blue optics came online.

[**Wha**—] Bumblebee did not finish, his eyes widening as he heard the half beep emerge from his radio.

"Bumblebee?" Knockout prompted.

[**Sorry, it's just, I couldn't even use my tones before**.]

"Do you remember everything that happened, little scout?" Megatron asked.

Bumblebee shuddered, [**Yes. You helped me, you erased the code, I can't hear his voice anymore**.] The scout's optics shuttered briefly, before looking at Megatron. [**Why did you help me**?]

"Would you rather have preferred that I left you in Silas' clasp?"

[**No**!] The beep was blared, fear filling the blue optics that looked at the two Decepticons. [**Any fate must be better than that. I couldn't move, I couldn't fight him no matter how hard I tried to stop him. I couldn't stop myself from kill**—]

"None of that, Bumblebee," Knockout said. "You were not responsible for the humans' dying."

Bumblebee wearily looked at the medic, [**Never thought you'd give **_**me**_** a talk on responsibility**.]

"My, what big words you know, youngling," Knockout said.

"Knockout has some memories he would like to return to you," Megatron said. "These are memories that you locked down so that Silas could not get them."

Bumblebee narrowed his eyes as he tried to concentrate, [**I… I had to protect something.**] He looked at Knockout, [**Did I**?]

The young mech looked so hopeful that he had succeeded that Knockout could not delay in answering, "Yes, you did. Now, with your permission," the medic transformed a servo into an instrument to access the medical port, "I will unlock them for you."

Bumblebee eyed the servo warily, [**They… They are important memories, aren't they?]**

"You'll remember someone, who, I daresay, means a great deal to you and is your friend."

Megatron watched as Bumblebee finally nodded and Knockout tilted the small 'bot's head to the side. It took a second for Knockout to find the locked memory file and open it and they watched as Bumblebee's eyes dimmed as the files were restored to his processor. Then Megatron looked away as the scout's body twitched and he warbled sorrowfully.

[**Raf. I forgot Raf**.] He shook his head, [**I had to do it, though, I had to protect him, keep him safe**.]

"Why?" Megatron asked, "Why did he need to be protected to such extremes?"

Bumblebee trembled, [**MECH, Silas, they wanted a human test subject, organic slave coding. Had to protect him! There was a mech, Silas had a mech, could access my processor, find Raf. Wanted me to bring a human for testing, had to protect Raf!]**

Most of Bumblebee's beeps and whistles escaped translation the first time through as the scout was panicking. Megatron got the gist of what the scout was trying to say though and felt the sickening dread that had been growing in him since he had discovered the maker of the slave code suddenly escalate. Everything was turning out worse than he had originally thought.

"Bumblebee, you must calm down. Your charge is safe, Raf is safe," Knockout grabbed hold of the scout's head, making him look at the medic. "You have not failed your guardian duties, the boy is safe."

Bumblebee was barely aware of how he could access his fans to cool himself down. [**You are sure**?]

"Absolutely," Knockout promised, uncomfortable because not only was he making a promise but he was doing so to an Autobot. But patients came first, then personal feelings.

Megatron turned to leave, "Take him to be washed, Knockout, and if he wishes to change his paint and alt mode he may do so."

"Yes, Lord Megatron." As soon as the Decepticon lord was gone, however, Knockout deactivated the security cameras and turned to his patient, "Bumblebee, I give you my word as a medic that anything you tell me I will lock under doctor/patient confidentiality unless it is something dangerous or will affect the crew of the _Nemesis_. Now, I will take you to the wash racks, but I just wanted to offer my services in removing a certain inscription from your dashboard." Bumblebee looked up in alarm at the medic, "Yes, I know it's there, Bumblebee, and if you allow I will get rid of it. I did not tell Lord Megatron simply because I know that very little has been private for you since you were captured or brought here. You deserve a little privacy and not everyone needs to know about such a thing anyway."

**Decepticons: 7**

**Autobots: 4**


	15. Bumblebee's Luxuries

**Chapter Summary: A brief look at the Autobots, and Bumblebee is encouraged to speak to Megatron.**

(Autobot base)

Optimus had become concerned after the two-hour mark of the younger 'bots' absence from base. A com with Sideswipe had verified that they were all right, just having difficulties finding the right alt modes. Prime had tried to tell them not to be too picky, this was Jasper, Nevada after all, but he knew that nothing but perfection would entice Sunstreaker to take on a human car as an alt mode.

Blurr had already returned to base an hour ago. The young 'bot had chosen a blue 1968 Corvette Stingray with gray racing stripes. While the fast-talking Autobot had been more than willing to talk non-stop about his new alt mode he had, uncharacteristically, hushed up about where the Twins were and what models they were looking at.

The rest of the Autobots had to wait another two hours before the Twins sent a com that they were returning. When they entered the base Ratchet had sputtered incoherently as Raf, wearing his Autobot shirt, got out of Sideswipe and the two brothers stayed in alt mode. Sunstreaker was, unashamedly, basking in the gawking faces and Sideswipe moved a bit back and forth to catch the lighting off his shiny finish.

Miko and Jack were not able to say anything for several minutes. Raf smiled slightly at the two show-off Twins, he had to admit that seeing Ratchet speechless was a sight not seen often. What made the scene even more priceless was the fact that Miko was as speechless as the medic.

"Where in the whole state of Nevada did you find Lamborghinis?!"

{_Nemesis_}

Bumblebee looked at his shiny silver frame and warbled. After the paintjob MECH had given him had been scraped away he had enjoyed an hour of just going continually back through the wash racks again and again. Who knew that being able to take a warm bath would be considered a luxury?

_I'll never take anything for granted again_, Bumblebee thought. He still could not believe that he was able to move his body, his fingers, his peds, all on his own. _Who knew anyone could have joy from being able to walk on his own_? _Oh, Primus, I will never abuse your gifts again_.

Bumblebee finally exited the washroom and found Knockout waiting for him. The Deceptcion medic was going through a data pad and looked up at the scout's exit from the room he had occupied for about as long as Knockout had thought he would. "Well Bumblebee, I must say your looks have improved greatly. Now," he held out the pad, "I have here the specs for your original Camaro alt mode you may download it and then we'll get you paintjob done."

Bumblebee stared at the pad but did not take it. He wanted, more than anything, to get rid of the last physical proof of Silas' changes but was unsure if going back to his previous alt mode would be all that comfortable. After all, that was the form he had been captured in, the one Silas had first… Bumblebee shook his head and took a step back, realizing after several seconds that his air intake had increased.

"Bumblebee?" There was nothing but concern in Knockout's red optics, "I can find you a more comfortable alt mode for the time being if you prefer?" Bumblebee nodded hesitantly and Knockout set to work, after a few seconds he handed the pad to the scout.

Bumblebee took the pad and scanned the alt mode's specs listed. It was a 2013 Hyundai HND-9 Sports Coupe Concept, not a type of car he would ever have selected but for now it was friendly. Within a second he had downloaded the specs and was shifting into his new alt mode, but no sooner had he finished transforming then he was back in his bipedal mode.

Knockout said nothing about the quick change back and forth. Bumblebee looked at the medic and while Knockout was indeed curious he withheld his questions for the time being. "Do you wish to get a paintjob?"

Bumblebee looked down at his unadorned plating. Every mech and femme got a paintjob, it helped define their name and uniqueness, being as much a part of them as their arms or legs. Yet Bumblebee shook his head and whirled a low tone in response. He was not ready to go back to his original coloring, especially when his alt mode was so unlike him, but neither did he want a new paintjob as any other color was definitely not him.

[**I…I can't**]

"That's fine," said Knockout, "it would probably be best to take this slow anyway. Now, are you feeling up to a chat with Lord Megatron? He wants you to recharge if your systems need it but he did say that if you are comfortable speaking to him now there are a few questions he would like to ask you."

[**Ask me**?]

"He will not force you to answer, Bumblebee, but the information you hold could be vital. Lord Megatron's main goal right now is to stop this from happening to anyone else."

Bumblebee shifted on his peds, [**Even if they're an Autobot**?]

"He saved you, didn't he?"

Bumblebee shook his head, [**I'm not an Autobot, not anymore**.]

Knockou was silent, wondering if now was a good time to argue or trying a different approach to healing the internal scars. "That's neither here nor there at the moment, regardless of affiliation or faction, Lord Megatron will is working on a program to give every mech and femme a defense against that abominable coding."

Bumblebee hesitated as he stared at Knockout. There were so many questions churning in his processor, at the top of the list was his returned memories of Raf. Why had Megatron bothered to have Knockout return them? Why help him and bother caring for his comfort zone as far as alt modes and paintjobs went?

Megatron wanted to talk and at this point it certainly would not hurt. Might as well see what the gigantic 'bot wanted and hope some of his own questions would be answered in the process. [**I'll talk to him**.]

**AN: Almost 100 reviews, I can scarcely believe it! This is my most popular fic as of this moment. **


	16. Soundwave Takes Center Stage

**AN: WOW! Over 100 reviews and 6000 views! You guys are amazing! Was very stunned with all the compliments people were giving and look three new comers! Can only hope when my story gets published that it does as well as this if not better.**

**Answerthecall: Welcome and thanks for review! **

**Shald120: Are you German? Just trying to place the ja and German was all I could think of.**

**TheOddAngel: Welcome and thanks for the review! **

**RaphaelplusMikey: Welcome and thanks for the review! You're probably right but don't worry about it, I won't bring it up again.**

**Chapter summary: Soundwave takes center stage!**

{_Nemesis_}

Bumblebee was surprised when Knockout did not lead him to the bridge. The medic instead brought him to a large room two levels from the bridge and Bumblebee almost backpedaled out when he saw who was there. Megatron, Soundwave and Dreadwing were standing next to a large view screen and terminal.

"An improvement," Megatron said, though he knew it would take some time to get used to Bumblebee's undecorated frame. Hopefully the scout would mend enough to revert to his originally coloring before long; there was just something disturbing about seeing a Cybertronian with unpainted plates. Perhaps it was the equivalent was a human walking naked among a group of clothed humans, though the Autobot was less of an eyesore. Still, all three Decepticons silently agreed with each other that seeing Bumblebee clean and no longer sporting red optics was definitely an improvement.

"Indeed, Lord Megatron," Knockout said, smiling. On the outside the medic appeared relaxed, but inside he knew Bumblebee's growing unease would explode sooner rather than later but there was no avoiding it.

"Little scout," Megatron spoke, earning Bumblebee's nervous attention, "were it possible, you would be given more time to come to terms with the abuse you were dealt, but time is not on your side in this case. We need to know everything about where you were held in hopes of finding MECH's base and destroying it. Is Silas is not stopped he will go after the only Cybertronians landlocked on the planet: the Autobots."

Bumblebee could not argue with the wisdom of Megatron's words. Mentally he snorted, who knew he would ever think the Decepticon leader as wise? **[It was underground**,] Bumblebee beeped lowly. [**They used a large warehouse to hide the elevator shaft. I was only brought topside a couple of times and I did not manage to get a good look around but it was quite a desolate place**.]

Megatron nodded, "Soundwave needs to see your memories in order to be able to find it using the satellites. He also will draw a rough diagram of the MECH'S base from the rooms you were moved through."

Bumblebee shook his head and backed up. This was a bad idea, a very bad idea. He should have expected this, however, he should have prepared himself for this. Knockout had promised to keep doctor/patient confidentiality but using Soundwave to breach Bumblebee's memories would protect the medic's oath.

"Bumblebee," Knockout was at his side, a hand on his arm, urging him to halt his retreat. Air whooshed through Bumblebee's valves as he inhaled sharply, who knew he would ever fear betrayal from Knockout? Primus had a sense of humor it seemed, no matter though, no one was getting inside his head again.

Bumblebee wrenched his arm from Knockout and turned to the door. He did not make it two steps from Dreadwing had a hold of him, now the second-in-command's presence was explained. The seeker's hold was firm his fingers were not crushing their strength into the scout's limbs which Bumblebee found odd.

"Bumblebee, don't struggle!" Knockout tried to calm the younger mech, "Soundwave is an expert at mental links, he will make this painless and he will not view any of your memories that does not include with his mission. He will seek only images of the base and the area around the warehouse."

Bumblebee shook his head, [**No**!] Uselessly he thrashed in Dreadwing's hold, [**I won't let this happen again, I won't**!]

Soundwave was before him in an instant and Bumblebee found himself looking at his reflection in the TIC's faceplate. The communications seeker remained silent, unsurprisingly, as he lifted his hands and held them several inches away from Bumblebee's head. Soundwave did not move, just continued to stare at the panicking scout who was making the most pitiful warbles of distress.

Megatron stayed where he was and watched. The situation was less than ideal, that was certain, but they simply had no time to tiptoe around the issue. Once they had the information then Bumblebee would have time to heal, Megatron promised that much.

Bumblebee's blue optics were as wide as they could be. Dreadwing held onto him firmly and Soundwave had gone still, Knockout was looking back and forth like he hoped a less distressing option would present itself. The scout shook his head at the Decepticon third-in-command, beeping his denial at having his memories viewed against his will.

Very slowly Soundwave extended a finger from each hand and touched the sides of Bumblebee's helm. The scout froze when he felt a presence brush against his processor but go no further, as if waiting for permission to enter. He warbled in surprise at this new revelation and wondered if any of the other Autobots suspected. Soundwave was a telepath, perhaps the last of his kind, and his message was clear: _I will not force my way in_.

Bumblebee shuddered as he saw the TIC with new eyes. Soundwave being telepathic explained his expert hacking and communications skills, how he was always so quick to outmaneuver the Autobot strike teams or know where they were. Yet, he could have destroyed hundreds of Autobots with his power, he could be ripping his way through Bumblebee's processor right now with a single thought.

_Telepathy was forced upon me_, Soundwave whispered at the edge of his processor. _I was compelled to hurt many for the simple enjoyment of the one who gave it to me, who robbed me of my voice in favor of enhancing my mental abilities, who made me a slave to his every whim. When Lord Megatron released me I swore to never harm another with this cursed power and I will not break my oath now. Let me in, Bumblebee. I will not hurt you; to do so would be hurting myself in the process for while our processors are linked I will feel what you feel. I swear to you by the AllSpark, that you have but to say no and I will leave a memory alone. I know you want Silas stopped as much as we do, so help us find the means to do so_.

Bumblebee shivered at the voice in his head. It was neither cold nor passionate, just speaking words emotionlessly. Had all emotion been pulled out of the soundless seeker?

[Allright,] Bumblebee found himself saying, surprising himself as well as everyone else.

His fans kicked in to cool his systems down. He could feel Soundwave sifting through his recent memories, viewing the times when he was brought out of MECH's base and the rooms he had seen. It was over before he knew it, utterly painless and he had not been forced to review the memories with Soundwave for more than a microsecond. It had been painless and he found his spark's beat slowing down.

Soundwave lowered his hands and took a step back. [**Wait**.] Dreadwing had released Bumblebee at a nod from the slighter seeker and now they all looked at the scout, [**Who experimented on you**?]

Soundwave hesitated and then looked at Megatron. The Decepticon leader stepped forward and looked down at Bumblebee. "The same one who helped MECH make the slave code that imprisoned you: Shockwave."

{Autobot base}

"What did you want to talk to me about Sunny?" Raf asked as he walked into the Twins' room.

The Twins looked down at him before Sideswipe crouched to offer him a hand up. "Listen, squishy," Sunstreaker said, "there ain't nothing been done around here to find Bumblebee. No leads, no trails, no clues, zippo."

"Natta," piped up Sideswipe.

"Zilch. It's been too long and the powers that be are dragging too slow getting anything done. Paperwork, government channels, asking nicely, none of that means a thing to us. Finding Bumblebee does. Sides and I have been thinking and we've agreed that the Decepticons had been too quiet, ya don't up and leave a system when ya've got a good thing going for ya, see? Ol' Megatron don't back off for nothing."

"Not nobody, no how."

"So, we connected the dots. First that mysterious Decepticon attacks a base and an airport and then Megatron leaves. That's fishy right there so here's what we need, half-pint, we need you to use your whiz skills on your laptop and find all info on those attacks. Bumblebee needs to come home and it looks like we're the only ones who have the clear-thinking processors to find him. So, ready to get started?"

Raf nodded quickly, he did not need time to think this through. "Let's get to it."

**AN: So, I finally revealed who made the code, thought I wouldn't hold you guys in suspense over that anymore. Hope it was a surprise to some of you. Anyway, review, as always, and tell me what you thought of Soundwave.**

**Decepticons: 8**

**Autobots: 4**


	17. Bee and Megatron's Talk

**Chapter summary: Megatron does not mollycoddle, absolutely not at all.**

{_Nemesis_}

_Shockwave_? The name vibrated through Bumblebee's processor like a death toll. He had heard stories, everyone had, about the experiments carried out in a dark dungeon in Tarn. Then there had been those Autobots and Neutrals who had been found, more dead than alive, and so twisted from their original forms that even their own friends had not recognized them. Those survivors, if they could be called as such, spoke of torturous methods that varied from one to the other but always they agreed on the blinding red optic and the deep baritone voice that always promised more pain.

It was said that Shockwave worked in the name of science. That he explored every avenue available to better deepen his knowledge of the inner workings of mechs, femmes, and other life forms. Everyone had agreed, even Decepticons, that Shockwave had no conscious, no emotion to draw the line, he was all too willing to logically compel himself to keep on going. None of his experiments had been comforted when he had told them that their suffering was enriching the realm of science.

Bumblebee moaned in distress and backed up. It was too much; it was far too much for his processor to handle now! So much that he had known, or thought to be true was crumbling around him. Soundwave was a telepath, was forced to become one by a member of his own faction. Knockout was not a sadistic moron and Megatron… Bumblebee looked up at the Decepticon leader who was watching him with hard red optics. The scout had the feeling that Megatron understood far better than even Prime could hope to.

"Leave us," Megatron ordered, and both his second lieutenants headed for the door without question. Knockout hesitated, his medic instinct not willing to abandon his patient to his leader's tender mercy. "That means you as well, Knockout."

"My lord, perhaps it would be better if I stayed—"

Megatron growled deep in his throat as he reached for Knockout, "You would dare to—!"

[**Stop**!] Bumblebee shouted, rushing forward to grab Megatron's arm but stopping when the Decepticon leader turned in his direction. [**Don't…don't hurt him**.]

Bumblebee hated how he pleaded but the move had been all too familiar. Megatron had grabbed him like that back at Tyger Pax and within moments had ripped out his vocal chords. One thing he did know remained true and that was Megatron's legendary temper but Bumblebee was sure that was hardly a good thing.

Megatron and Knockout studied Bumblebee before the Decepticon leader released the medic. "I believe you were leaving, _doctor_."

"So I was," Knockout said, and quickly exited the room.

Bumblebee backed up a step as Megatron turned to face him fully. "Stop." Megatron commanded but the scout shook his head frantically and continued to move away. The Decepticon stood tall, not trying at all to make himself look less intimidating, "Are you afraid of me, little scout?"

The question brought Bumblebee up short. When he had first come up against Megatron, back on Tyger Pax, he had been incredibly cocky and feared nothing. The Decepticon leader had quickly disillusioned Bumblebee of the notion that _he_ was invincible; the ripping out of his voice box had been a crippling blow to Bumblebee's ego as well as his self-esteem. Optimus had taken the blow just as hard and held Bumblebee back from facing Megatron again for several years. The Autobot scout had recovered though from the loss of his voice and, with just a reminder that he could be hurt as much as those around him, he worked hard to hone his fighting skills.

He had not feared Megatron for a while, just remembered what the older mech was responsible for. Bumblebee wanted to respond that he did not fear the Decepticon, that he was ready to take him on in a fight, but the truth was that he was afraid. Bumblebee had witnessed firsthand how easily control had been taken from him, how he had been forced to do the bidding of another no matter how distasteful or dishonorable the deed was. Megatron could just as simply make him obey as Silas had done, angering the bigger mech might not be the smartest thing to do after all.

[**Yes**,] Bumblebee beeped lowly.

"Why are you afraid of me?" Megatron advanced, encroaching on Bumblebee's personal space and the scout backed away. Bumblebee shook his head, he could not answer. "Do you fear me because you think I will do as Silas did? The slave code is in my hands now, what will stop me from putting it back in your frame?"

Bumblebee was backed up against the wall now. It certainly did not help that Megatron already knew why Bumblebee would be afraid. He moaned his distress, optics moving about frantically in search of a means to escape but there was none. Megatron placed his servos on either side of Bumblebee, making sure he could go nowhere in a hurry. Unable to look into the gleaming red optics anymore, Bumblebee hung his helm pathetically and nodded.

Megatron punched the wall hard and Bumblebee jumped. "Honor! That is what will stop me, little scout! I swore an oath to never allow any mech or femme under the servitude of a slave code ever again!" Megatron gazed down at the frightened blue optics, staring up at him with fear and he sighed, "You are too young, you would not know of the 'golden days' of Cybertron and of those who suffered to smooth the lifestyle of those who lived in places like Iacon. You would not have seen the mechs and femmes who were forced again and again into the gladiator ring to bring sport to those who had nothing better to do but sit on their lazy afts and throw gold credits to the winners. None of those gladiators fought because they wanted to, we all had a slave code downloaded into our processors from the moment we awakened after the AllSpark had sent our sparks into our forms. That was the beginning, from there the slave code spread throughout Cybertron's infrastructure and to its colonies." Bumblebee was sure that his optics could not widen any further. "Unlike you we were not trapped in our minds, we could move on our own as the slave coders did not want to give us specific orders in order for us to be able to move. It was this small freedom that allowed me the ability to find a way to get rid of my slave code and free others. With the help of a librarian, named Orion Pax, I went before the Golden Council and informed them that if they did not delete the code on their own I would do it. The council thought they could sway me by giving Orion Pax the mantle of the Primes, surely I would not lead a rebellion with my best friend leading the opposing forces?"

[**No!**] Bumblebee shouted, ducking and heading for the door but Megatron grabbed him. [**I won't listen to this! Prime would never condone such a code! You're trying to deceive me**!]

"Listen little scout!" Megatron shook Bumblebee, "Every word I have spoken is the truth, of that you may be certain! I chose the name Decepticon for my faction, not the council as you were told, do you know why? Not because we were the deceivers but because we were liberating the deceived!"

Bumblebee air valves hiccupped as he fought to control himself. [**But why then—?** **Why would Prime**—?]

"Orion had the fatal flaw to see good where there was none, to seek the more peaceful route even in times when only action would solve the dispute. Perhaps he thought that by taking the place as the next prime he would be in a better position to find a less violent solution that would please both sides." Megatron caught Bumblebee's optics in an unforgiving stare, "But accepting anything from the council binds you in more ways to their will than you would think."

Bumblebee's spark stuttered, [**You**… **You think they did something to him?]**

"I have thought that might be the case. I was hoping when he had amnesia to get a chance to run a processor diagnostic but I never got the chance. I would like nothing better, little scout, then to have my friend once again and this war ended.'

[**But you're not all good**,] protested Bumblebee, before he groaned and face palmed. Now he understood the human expression of sticking a foot in one's mouth.

"Explain."

[**You… You hurt me, you hurt many during this war and I can swear on my honor that there were those who did not know why this fight was going on**.]

Megatron raised a hand, one digit extending but not quite touching Bumblebee's neck. "I have a temper, little scout, as you are well aware of. When I saw that Optimus Prime had ejected the AllSpark into space I was filled with rage, and you were the closest I could vent upon. That is no excuse, I know, but my temper is a lasting defect from my gladiator days and seeing the AllSpark leave Cybertron was a sight I shall never forget."

[**But Prime had to eject it, to protect the AllSpark from you**.]

Megatron looked at Bumblebee with a sadness in his optics that the young 'bot did not think would ever be possible. "Foolish little scout, did Prime think I would harm the AllSpark? Even I, arrogant as I can be, would never dare to touch the gift of Primus. I wanted only to reach those new protoforms that were being prepared for sparks and to make sure that they were free of the slave code, that was my sole mission."

[**Oh**,] beeped Bumblebee, and really, what more could he say?

Megatron turned away from the scout. "Knockout is no doubt outside and will escort you to your quarters. You will not be required to help us from this point on as you need to heal from your ordeal."

Bumblebee felt anger rise within him, [**I want to stop MECH**!]

Megatron lifted an optic ridge at him, "Oh? You are ready to face Silas then?"

[**I'm ready to stop him**!] Bumblebee said quickly, too quickly.

"Then report to Knockout to be repainted your old colors and transform into your alt mode." Bumblebee froze, memories springing up before his optics before he hurriedly pushed them away. "You haven't transformed since I rescued you, have you?" Bumblebee did not answer, but then he did not have to and Megatron nodded, "You're not ready. When you are ready to become Bumblebee the Autobot scout again, then, and only then, will I allow you to take part in any plans we make regarding Shockwave or MECH. Until then you will focus on coming to terms with what was done to you and heal, nothing else should concern you at this time."

Before Bumblebee could speak Megatron had left the room. Knockout entered and looked over his patient as if inspecting him for scratches or dents, perhaps he was. "So I take it, it went well?"

Bumblebee sagged on his wheels and crossed his arms over his chest plates. [**He wants me to heal, how can I heal**? **How does one recover from this**?]

"Baby steps, Bumblebee," Knockout said, as he carefully placed an arm over the scout's shoulders and lead him out of the room. "Baby steps."

**Decepticons: 8**

**Autobots: 5 **


	18. The Doublecross

**Chapter summary: Starscream learns the hard way **_**not**_** to make a deal with the devil.**

[Shockwave's Lab— dun dun dun!]

The towering mech was not clumsy in his movements. Most Cybertronians Shockwave's size would never be called graceful or be credited with the ability to move light on their pedes, but he walked with a class all his own. He was as tall as Megatron but wider and stockier built, his original function being a deep miner operator.

In the early stages of Megatron's rebellion the Tarn mine had been one of the first places the Decepticon leader had liberated. The mine had been a priority given the deplorable conditions in which the miners had to work, many off-lined daily risking their lives to bring up fresh amounts of high-grade energon for the rich caste. The slave code was necessary to keep the miners working, no matter if they saw a comrade fall hurt or dead the mine owners had one priority and that was to fill their quota.

With the liberation of the mine Shockwave had earned Megatron's attention. Megatron had been impressed by the other mech's ability to logically work out problems, not knowing that Shockwave had personally delved into his own processor to wipe out his emotion chip. The miner had done so to preserve his sanity in seeing so many of his co-workers die daily and had logically thought that separating himself from the situation emotionally was the only answer.

Shockwave had turned down Megatron's proposal to lead the heavy grounder Decepticons. The mech had instead turned to science as a means of answering his race's problems. Like Prime, Shockwave did not think that war would solve the issues on Cybertron but unlike Optimus the miner-turned-scientist did not think negotiation would help either.

The Tarn mech took over as leader of his city. Shockwave delved deeper into the scientific arts, his experiments turning darker and twisted the further his studying went. To solve the conflict between the Autobots and the Decepticons Shockwave first had to understand the Cybertronian body. He took captured Autobtos and botnapped Neutrals to his lab where he took them apart and put them back together in a different order. Not many knew it but Shockwave was responsible for Arachnid's mutation, as well as her advancement in the ranks of the Decepticons in the interrogation department. Arachnid was the only survivor of his mutation phase who was happy with how deadly he had made her.

Shockwave had been making progress in his studies. Then it had all been over, Megatron had finally gotten wind of his activities and come to Tarn like an avenging father goes after the one who had wronged his child. Megatron had almost killed him that day, no doubt thought that he had, but Shockwave always had a contingency plan for every one of his actions.

After the destruction of his lab and work in Tarn, Shockwave had decided to lay low. He had set a watch on Megatron's movements while he himself burrowed deep into Cybertron and continued most of his experiments in theory only. His once praised logical processor went through more than five hundred scenarios a day, until he finally came to the solution to the ending the war.

Then Earth had been discovered and the war had been brought to the organic planet. From a distance, Shockwave had studied the doings of both the Autobots and the Decepticons on the small planet and had made a few changes to his plan. Earth was a lot like Cybertron, its people split into too many factions and war always around the corner. The humans would never come to peace on their own, they, like the Cybertronians, did not know what was best for them. Still, it would be a simple matter to sway the more easily manipulated to his way of thinking; they let their own governments' rule their lives more than they knew after all.

Shockwave walked around the large table with a calculating optic. The 'bot that lay captive in the restraints had been too easy to take down, but starvation made even the most skeptical of mechs less paranoid. No doubt the seeker had thought himself too important to Shockwave, who was a grounder, and so had no need to think of betrayal. Foolish really, particularly since this mech bound before him thrived on double-crossing and betraying himself.

A groan from the table alerted him to the seeker's on-lining systems. A small concentrated EMP had taken the mech down without a fight, just as Shockwave preferred it to be. Two red optics opened and shuttered while the mech's processor tried to make sense of what had happened. The silver, grayish head turned to look at him and had it meant anything to Shockwave he might have basked in the seeker's fear but the larger mech was as unaffected as ever.

"Shockwave? What are you doing?' The seeker tried to move; only finding himself restrained and panic flooded his nervous system. "Why am strapped down? I thought we were allies!"

"Logistics show that there is a 99% chance you will betray me or flee when you've had enough. I am merely taking precautions that you will not do so. I have need of a seeker for my plans therefore I cannot allow you to leave, ever." Shockwave went to a nearby computer terminal and pushed a few buttons. Then he grabbed a joystick type device and began to move it.

The seeker looked up and saw a cable coming down at him. They reminded him of the cables used for a cortical psychic patch but the ends had been modified into sharp spikes that promised pain on entrance. Trying to twist away from the cables gave no results; the seeker was trapped and helpless. A cable dangled to the side of his helm, and the trapped seeker realized his medical port was open.

"What is this? What are you doing? What is that thing for?" The seeker screeched.

Shockwave left the terminal and came over to the table. "You were a deep space searcher before the war, you had very little contact with the different castes on Cybertron since you needed only to report to Iacon's science department before being sent off again." Shockwave grasped the cable, "The Golden Council knew of a way to keep the lower castes in line and doing their dirty work without complaint. I have taken their previous code and modified it, interlaced it with organic coding to make it impossible for your own firewalls to stop. I have tested this code before and upgraded it, consider yourself another of my test subjects."

Before the seeker could protest Shockwave had grabbed his helm, opened the medical port and shoved the cable in. A second to download and then he watched impassively as the smaller mech's optics widened more with fear and looked about like a scared sparkling. "You will have minimal movement of your frame, the last test subject showed that taking complete control proved to be too prpblematic. Here are your orders: You will not leave, you will not attack me, you will not recharge, you will not refuel without my say-so. You will not speak, you will not flee from a fight, you will not disappoint me."

The scientist stepped back and hit a control for the restraints. The seeker did not move; only lay listlessly on the table as if he were deactivated. Shockwave nodded his helm, his single large red optic sweeping down the form of his newest addition. He approached the table again.

"You will remain on the table and not move." Shockwave pulled a tray of his instruments towards him; "You were a competent seeker before, but now I will remold you into a superior form of weaponry."

Trapped within his own processor Starscream could do nothing but watch.

**AN:** **This was almost as hard to write as the Silas scenes. What did you guys think?**

**Decepticons: 8**

**Autobots: 5**


	19. Bee's Baby Steps

**AN: A big welcome and thanks for your review to newcomers.**

**Igeegeei: loved the pun!**

{_Nemesis_ – Quarters Level}

_Stingray. My Stingray. Where are you? Don't you want your reward_?

Bumblebee snapped out of recharge and jumped out of his berth, smashing his back against the wall as he brought his blasters up to bear and his battle mask snapped down into place. His ventilation system took in huge intakes of air as he scanned the room, his body shaking with dread.

It took a few seconds for the scout to realize that the room was empty. Puzzled, Bumblebee slowly lower his blasters as he continued to look about the recharging room Megatron had had assigned to him. Another scan showed that there were no other life signs but his in the room, human or Cybertronian, he was alone.

He had heard that voice in his audio. Bumblebee was certain that he had not imagined it and he fearfully backed out of his quarters. Could he not be safe anywhere from Silas?

Feeling the need for companionship Bumblebee headed for Knockout's quarters. The medic was not that far away, only a few more rooms down from where Bumblebee had been quartered. The small scout hit the buzzer, hoping the medic would not be too put out at having his recharge disturbed.

The door opened and Knockout blinked at him in surprise. "Bumblebee? Shouldn't you be recharging?"

[**No. I mean, yes I should, but I— I'm sorry, I shouldn't have disturbed you.**] Bumblebee turned, mentally chiding himself for being such a coward.

"Wait." The 'bot turned and saw Knockout move aside, gesturing for him to enter, "Come on in, Bumblebee, I don't mind."

Hesitantly Bumblebee walked into Knockout's quarters. An array of knickknacks, some Cybertronian and some, surprisingly, human, were arranged around the room. Two berths were set a few feet apart next to one wall and Knockout sat down on one. "Nightmare?"

Bumblebee let out a surprised warble. [**How did you know**?]

"I'm a medic, Bumblebee, I wouldn't be able to do my job thoroughly if I couldn't read the signs right. Besides," Knockout paid particular attention to his claws, "Breakdown couldn't recharge alone after his run-in with MECH."

Bumblebee winced as he sat down on the other berth. Breakdown's death was obviously still fresh in Knockout's processor, not surprising since the two had been partners for such a long time. [**I'm sorry**.]

Knockout looked at him, "For what?"

[**It's not easy losing a partner**,] Bumblebee said, thinking of Arcee and how she had been reluctant taking Jack on after losing two partners.

Knockout shook his head, "Never mind about me, we're supposed to be talking about you. So, what was it about?"

Bumblebee shook his head, [**I could see nothing, just hear his voice**.]

"What did he say?"

Here the scout shuddered and wrapped his arms around his torso, [**I-I don't think I'm ready**.]

"I understand," said Knockout. "But as your physician it is my duty to point out that talking does help."

[**Did it help Breakdown**?]

"Yes." Knockout waited, and then said, "Are you calmer now?"

Bumblebee was glad he could not blush or else he would have been beet red at his sparkling behavior. [**Yes**.] Truth was, his systems had calmed down but he was by no means ready to be alone.

"Then you should try getting back to recharging, well rested systems help deal with this kind of trauma too. You go ahead and use that berth, Bumblebee, Breakdown wouldn't mind."

[**I can stay**?] Bumblebee beeped hopefully, it truly said something about his emotional state if he was willing to recharge in the same room as a Decepticon.

"Of course." Knockout got up and fiddled with a very large stereo system, "And your doctor knows the perfect prescription to give you a peaceful recharge." To Bumblebee's surprise, human classical music started playing at a low volume, "_Solveig's Song_ by Edvard Grieg," Knockout informed him, "which will then be followed by Smetana's _Moldau_. I discovered quite by accident how soothing listening to classical music could be after a hard day and it did wonders for Breakdown."

Knockout turned to see Bumblebee laying down on the birth, blue optics slowly shuttering. Grinning like a mad mech, Knockout dimmed the lights and lay down on his own berth. While he stretched out his frame horizontally Knockout noticed that Bumblebee curled up on his side to recharge. An odd position for a Cybertronian, Knockout had never seen any mech or femme recharge that way, usually grounders lay on their backs and seekers lay on their front. The only other mech Knockout had seen sleep on his side had been Breakdown, and that had been after MECH had tortured him.

Classical music helped Breakdown a lot, Knockout thought as he fell into recharge, but even it failed to get him to recharge on his back again.

[_Nemesis_ – Bridge}

Megatron should have been recharging but there was one matter he needed to see to before he could. He bypassed the working Vehicons and found the isolated alcove where Soundwave had made his workstation. The communications officer was busily typing away at a keyboard and did not acknowledge his presence but Megatron was not fooled. Telepathy could be as equally a curse as well as a gift.

"Soundwave," Megatron said as he closed the door, giving them both privacy from the rest of the bridge. "I owe you an apology."

Those words, so foreign to his vocoder and to Soundwave too, who turned around quickly. The seeker regarded him in silence before a question mark appeared on his visor. It did not ease Megatron's conscious that Soundwave was oblivious to the cause of his declaration.

"When I broke into Shockwave's fortress in Tarn and discovered you I made you a vow: to kill him. You swore that if I stopped him you would swear loyalty to me for life, and you have stayed by my side through it all, even my bouts of madness." Here Megatron was thinking o the time Unicron had poisoned his processor with that insane idea that had nearly cost the deaths of all life on Earth and perhaps the galaxy as well. "There were times I felt I did not deserve your unquestioning loyalty, and now I realize that I never did. I was unable to keep my oath, Soundwave, your tormentor still lives and has harmed others. Had Bumblebee not been a priority I would have come to you sooner but we needed that information on MECH." Megatron walked forward, stopping before the silent seeker, "However, if you wish to terminate your affiliation with the Decepticon faction and leave I will not stop you."

Soundwave cocked his helm to the side and on his visor there appeared a drawing of the seeker with the _Nemesis_ on one side and Earth on the other. Question marks and arrow trails went in haphazard lines in every direction. His point was clear: where would he go?

"You could return to the Autobots," Megatron suggested, "once you told them who you once were they might accept you."

A picture of Optimus Prime appeared on Soundwave's visor with a large red x over it. The seeker lifted his hands, his stance asking permission and Megatron nodded. One finger from each hand touched the Decepticon's leader's helm and he felt Soundwave's presence connect with his own.

_I am no longer as I was_, Soundwave said, _Shockwave saw to that. To the Autobots my former self is dead, let it remain so, enough ghosts from the past have returned let us not add another. I am Soundwave, your third-in-command, I swore loyalty to you and I will not break my vow. I always knew that killing Shockwave would be no easy matter and all these years his memory has haunted my steps, let him torment me no longer. I am no longer the scared mutation you found all those years ago, I have accepted what I am and honed my new body and its terrible abilities. Shockwave will know the failure of logic when I am done with him_.

A beep at the terminal made them both turn. "What is that?"

Soundwave tapped a few keys before slumping. He reached out again to touch Megatron's helm. _I have failed over and over again to make a defense program to counteract Shockwave's slave code. The organic coding is proving to be most difficult_.

"Can you think of any means you could try to stop this code from taking over another mech?"

Soundwave hesitated, If I had an assistant the possibility of honing a defense program strong enough to disrupt the slave code would be that much stronger.

Megatron narrowed his optics at Soundwave before looking up at the screen where the seeker's failed attempt was displayed. "You're thinking of recruiting a human assistant, aren't you?" Soundwave nodded. "Do you have one in mind? I ask only because there are billions of the little things to choose from."

Soundwave brought up a picture on his visor and Megatron's optic ridges went up. "You cannot be serious!"

**AN: Oh sweet suspense, how you torment my readers so, :) **


	20. Raf's Bad Day

**AN: Wow, the reaction over what was revealed in the last chapter! Though none of you guys really commented on the scene between Knockout and Bumblebee, hmm. I really thought by chapter 20 i would be wrapping this fic up but now that I'm here I realize that I am nowhere near close to finishing.**

**Asher Tye: Yes, I love cliffhangers! **

**The Cybertonium Warrior: Welcome and thanks for the review and faction vote!**

**Allseer: I have a plan, just wait and see.**

**Autumnfloweres: What made you wary? Was it the first chapter? The summary? Anything I can do to improve either?**

**Ryder-hunter: Welcome and thanks for the review. As to your question, read and find out :)**

**64: I really am sorry for tormenting you… Wait, I take it back, nope not sorry at all.**

**Chapter summary: Raf has a very bad day.**

{Autobot Base}

"We found Bumblebee!" Raf screamed, as he and the Twins ran into the main control room.

The other Autobots turned at his words, "Impossible!" exclaimed Ratchet.

"Where?" asked Bulkhead.

Sideswipe lifted Raf and set him next to the terminal so that the little human could plug in his laptop. Raf wasted no time in bringing up a picture of the 'Decepticon' who attacked the military base in Alaska. "It's Bumblebee, see?" Raf highlighted several areas on the unknown mech, pointing out their similarities to his guardian.

"Raf," said Arcee, "I think you need—"

"That's Bumblebee!" Raf insisted. "Look at his optics. They may be red but I'd know them anywhere, that's my guardian!"

Optimus prime studied the picture and then looked down at Raf. "If you are correct, Raf, then Bumblebee has defected to the Decepticons."

"No!" the Twins cried, angrily stepping forward. "Bumblebee would never do that! Maybe they've processor-wiped him or—"

"A processor wipe takes time, more time than what elapsed between Bumblebee's disappearance and his attack on this base," Ratchet said.

"What are we going to do?" Arcee asked. "There's not something right about this, we know Bumblebee, the Twins practically raised him."

Sunstreaker nodded, "And we know out little brother. He would never do any of this by choice, the Decepticons have done something to him."

"What about MECH?" Raf jumped into the conversation. "Couldn't they have done something to him?"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Ratchet snapped. "The only thing MECH can do is mutilate our bodies and build lifeless copies of us. Humans don't have the technology to access a 'bot's processor and besides, Bumblebee's natural firewalls would prevent any type of virus from affecting his systems."

"We have to get him," Sideswipe said, "no matter who is responsible for this we have to bring him back here."

"You are correct, Sideswipe," said Optimus. "Bumblebee must be brought in for questioning and a trial."

"A trial?" snarled Sunstreaker.

"He has broken the Autobot code, he has defected and killed humans," Optimus explained. "This betrayal cannot go unpunished."

"No!" the Twins shouted. "Bumblebee is not a—"

"Enact protocol 371," Optimus ordered, and all the other Autobots froze for a second before straightening up and looking at him. "The scout, designation Bumblebee, has defected to the Decepticon cause and killed helpless organics. He is to be shot on sight, no hesitation."

"Yes, Prime." The other Autobots said.

Raf stared in horror at the mechs and femme around him. A giant hand scooped him up and Optimus carried him out of the base. "What did you do to them?"

"I am sorry you had to witness that, Raf," Optimus said, his optics shifting to the left before they snapped back on the human boy. "In light of what has been revealed here today I think it best that you do not come back to base until this ordeal has passed."

"You're going to kill Bumblebee?" Raf asked. "You can't! Please you can't kill him!"

"I understand why you are upset, little one, but my duty is clear." Optimus set Raf on the ground, "Bumblebee has betrayed the Autobot cause and as prime I must answer his treason with justice."

Prime turned to walk away but Raf stumbled forward, "No, Optimus, please! That isn't you! You always give people a second chance! Please!"

Optimus' frame shuddered slightly, "Raf, Raf I—" Prime stood tall and looked down at the human boy, "My duty is clear, if you cannot accept Bumblebee's fate then perhaps you should no longer come here."

Tears streamed down the boy's face as the door to the base closed. Raf sobbed as he backed away, running as fast as his short legs could take him. He could not believe what had happened, the things Optimus had said. That protocol he had enacted, it seemed to have taken away the other Autobots' will to disagree with Optimus, and Prime himself had been so cold when he ordered Bumblebee's death.

Raf did not go to his house. He could not go home in this state, his body still trembled from his crying and his face was a mess of tears and dirt. Needing to be alone, Raf climbed to a lookout post he and Bumblebee had frequented for when they needed to get away from the hustle and bustle of the base.

Raf sat down and allowed himself to cry outright. It was his fault and he knew it. The Twins had wanted to go find Bumblebee right after Raf had shown them the picture but he had insisted on telling the others. Now that weird thing had happened and everyone, even Optimus, had ceased acting like the 'bots that he knew.

Wiping furiously at his face, Raf tried to stop crying. It was a lost process of course, the situation was just too hopeless. He could not get to Bumblebee on his own, he was just a kid and had no idea where to look anyway. The Autobots would find 'Bee and kill him before the young 'bot had a chance to defend himself, Raf was sure of it.

The human boy did not hear the approaching seeker before it was too late to hide. Raf looked up in alarm, having just enough time to see a fast approaching seeker bearing down him before it was too late. Half transforming, the seeker grabbed him with one servo, put him in the cockpit and then took off again.

Raf's screams were lost before anyone but his kidnapper could hear them.

**Decepticons: 8**

**Autobots: 6**

**AN: The Autobots are catching up, come on Decepticon fans don't lose the lead!**


	21. A Peek at the Villain's Plans

**AN: The outrage over Optimus Prime's actions and words! The shock and anger, death threats, wow. 19 reviews for one chapter, a new record! Anyway, I probably should have warned you guys at the beginning of this story that I love cliffhangers…and making my reviewers mad when I do it. Don't hate me.**

**Insert something creative: Thanks for thinking my writing is brilliant, I've worked really hard on it. Any spelling errors are purely from writing too fast and then not catching the mistakes when I read back through it.**

**Stitchar: More therapy sessions? Got it. I knew that about Breakdown, but was unsure if Knockout would want to bring up his dead partner continually. Will have to give this a lot of thought.**

**Allseer: Sit tight.**

**Huter: Welcome and thanks for the review and faction vote.**

**64: I'm getting the feeling that I'm going to enjoy tormenting you.**

**MissCHSparkles: Extreme circumstances call for extreme measures. That's all I can say without giving anything away.**

**TheOddAngel: Wow, I did not see defecting coming but yes you're allowed to defect. Would you like to?**

**To all Guests: Welcome and thanks for your reviews!**

**Starfire201: Hope can be a very powerful thing.**

**Asher Tye: You are right to be skeptical, my friend.**

**AN: To everyone else, as always thanks for reviewing. Lots of reviews really motivate me to write faster, plus a thunderstorm helps too.**

{Shockwave's Lab}

The roar of the jet's engines alerted Shockwave to Starscream's return. The scientist looked up as the F-22 flew through the tunnel and transformed as he neared Shockwave's lab, a human clutched in his right hand. The seeker briefly made optic contact with the scientist before ducking his head and placing his cargo on the table.

Starscream stepped back as Shockwave moved forward. The scientist scanned the small human, making sure the young male was in perfect condition before he turned to his seeker. A brief scan of Starscream showed nothing worthy of note and he turned away to focus on his latest test subject.

"There is a cube of energon on the far table, you may refuel and then you will go to monitor the perimeter scans. You will alert me if anyone approaches and you will not send out any signals of any kind."

Starscream walked a little unsteadily on his pedes to the table. His alt mode had not been the only thing Shockwave had changed; his frame was slightly bulkier to accommodate the extra weapons the scientist had added. While he had the speed of a raptor, Starcream also had the weapons assemblage of an A-10 Warthog.

The seeker took the energon cube and tried to ignore the whimpers from the prisoner. He never thought that he would ever feel anything but contempt for humans but having been strapped to that table before and knowing what was coming there was an odd stirring in his spark. He drank his energon quickly, knowing Shockwave would only let him refuel when the bigger mech felt like it, and from the corner of his optics he saw the scientist restrain the fragile human.

Shockwave paid Starscream no mind as he activated his laser tool. Using the lowest setting, he meticulously cut away the boy's shirt and brushed the pieces of cloth to the side. Using a lead pencil, Shockwave began to mark the small body at the places where he would need to pay particular attention during his experimenting. The human would no doubt not survive the process, the first test subjects rarely did, but his sacrifice would bring Shockwave that much closer to understanding the organic's biology and that in turn would lead him closer to his goal.

Having finished his energon Starscream turned away to leave. The muffled screams of the human as Shockwave made his first incision seared the seeker's audios, making him walk faster to exit the room. With any luck the human would pass out and be unconscious for the worst part. Starscream could do nothing, thanks to the slave code firmly entrenched in his systems he could not even think of attacking the scientist without an unbearable pressure building in his processor.

Starscream took up his post in the small command room of Shockwave's underground base. He had already cursed himself seven ways from right to left and back for stupidly getting mixed up in this business. Starscream fervently wished that Megatron had killed Shockwave back on Cybertron all those years ago, as the Decepticons had thought he had.

Starscream shook his head mournfully. Wishing could do nothing; it never would do anything helpful. He could not even monologue to himself thanks to Shockwave ordering him silent and his new battle mask firmly sealed over the lower part of his face. Starscream wondered if Shockwave had done the last part because he himself was without a face, and seeing the seeker would remind the scientist of what he did not have.

A camera in the corner showed the lab and Starscream did his best to ignore it. Seeing the red blood staining the table would most likely make him want to purge his tank and he needed to preserve his energon. It was a flimsy excuse, and Starscream knew it, for despite his outward appearance of being a hardened mech he really did have a queasy system for brutality and tried his best to avoid any situation that might bring him pain.

Well, he certainly had been too desperate to avoid Shockwave's clutches. The scientist had known what he was doing, offering Starscream all the energon he required in exchange for recon missions. The seeker had bought it hook, line and sinker, as the humans say… Starscream winced, the human in the lab would not live, of that he was certain.

_I delivered him to his death_, Starscream thought. _But even without this code in me I doubt I would have helped him, I really am a coward_.

**AN: So, don't kill me? **

**Decepticons: 13**

**Autobots: 8**


	22. Loyalty Codes

**AN: I'm hiding behind a really strong shield and if any of you come after me I do have missiles to defend myself. So stay away and continue reading, thank you. **

**Chapter Summary: Of Ships, and 'Bots, and Trauma**

{_Nemesis_}

When Bumblebee came out of recharge he found himself alone. The classical music was still playing, a piece he did not know, and he slowly sat up to look around. Knockout was gone, no doubt at the medical bay as a look at the time display showed that it was 0900 hours(okay, no idea how the 'bots would display time so I'm going with the military version). Bumblebee had definitely recharged longer than he normally did, or even would have been able to back at the Autobot base.

Swinging his legs to the floor, Bumblebee got up and stretched. Surprisingly, he had recharged better than he could ever remember and he definitely had not had any more nightmares after falling asleep in here. Bumblebee wondered if Knockout would make this a regular thing, as the little 'bot could almost feel the fear rise in him at he prospect of having to be alone at his next recharge.

The classical music and Knockout's presence had helped. The soothing sounds had lulled him into recharge, and Knockout's presence had kept the haunting voice of Silas away. For a moment he looked down at the berth he recharged on, thinking of how Breakdown had used that same space when he needed a peaceful slumber.

It was hard thinking of the ex-wrecker as being able to show signs of weakness. Bulkhead never did, the 'big lug', as Arcee affectionately called him, was not the brightest spark in the pack but he was one of the toughest and only a scraplet could send the bulky mech screaming. Had Bumblebee not also been fearfully watching his back he might have laughed along with Miko at Bulkhead's high pitched tones.

Bumblebee wrapped his arms around his torso and hung his head. For some unfathomable reason Megatron wanted him to rejoin the Autobots, to pick up from where he had left, but young as he was, Bumblebee was sure he could never go back. To Bumblebee, the Autobots represented his youth as he had been with ever since he had been orphaned while still a sparkling. The Twins had raised him the majority of the time but he had grown up from one Autobot base to the next, they had been his family and he had had more days filled with laughter than sorrow.

Now the days of his youth were gone. Bumblebee knew he was still relatively young, he was perhaps the youngest on the _Nemesis_, but experience had a way of aging a 'bot far faster than years did. MECH had made him grow up, had robbed him of the last shred of innocence he had managed to hold onto and had forced him to see up close the ugliness of evil. Bumblebee had thought Megatron was bad, had resented him for stealing his voice, but the Decepticon leader paled in comparison with MECH. Silas was truly the devil he had heard Raf speak of, delighting in taking anything that was good and dirtying it beyond recognition.

Raf. Bumblebee felt coolant gather around his optics as he thought about his little friend. Would he ever see him again? Would Raf even want to see him again after he learned what Bumblebee had been forced to do?

The door opened and Knockout walked in with two cups of energon. "Well sleeping beauty finally got up, which is good because there was no way I was trying the human method to wake you." Knockout passed a cup to Bumblebee before turning off the music, "So, how did you recharge?"

[**Very well**,] Bumblebee answered honestly. [**You were right, classical music helps a lot**.]

The two bots sipped their energon in silence before Knockout handed a chip to Bumblebee. "Here, this holds a thousand or more classical songs and even some Gregorian chant," Knockout hesitated before adding, "Breakdown used to reserve the Latin pieces for when he was alone, as I sometimes had night missions or was needed to patch someone up in the medical bay." Bumblebee looked up from where he had been examining the chip, a question in his optics, "Go ahead and ask, I won't bite."

[**Can you talk about Breakdown? It's just that…I'd like to know how he managed to get through the day after MECH tortured him**.]

Knockout sipped some more of this energon, "How much do you know about him?"

[**Well, I know he use to be a Wrecker, Bulkhead ranted a lot about how Breakdown turned his back on the group after an incident happened. I never did find out what happened, did Breakdown tell you**?]

Knockout drained his energon cup and looked at Bumblebee, "He didn't have too, I was there." Trust was what Knockout needed to build with Bumblebee and it was the only reason why he was willing to talk about Breakdown. Hopefully, the scout would see that Knockout truly wanted to help him and would come trust him enough to talk about his days at the MECH base. "I was working as an assistant medic among the Decepticon ranks near the front lines. We had set up an area to treat the injured, separating them according to faction but we did treat members of both sides as our oaths required. Well, the Decepticons were pushed back and the Autobots took the area, most of the medics ran but a few of us stayed because there were some severely wounded mechs who would've died without immediate treatment. The Wreckers came in and stopped us from treating anyone, then they executed all the wounded Decepticons, 'mercy kills' they called them, even though all of those who were coherent begged for actual mercy." Knockout looked at the frozen Bumblebee and nudged him to continue drinking his energon, "Like the fool I was I threw myself in front of a wounded mech, he was little more than a youngling anyway, and Wheeljack was prepared to shoot through me. Breakdown had been hanging back from the rest at this point, he later told me that seeing his comrades kill the wounded had snapped something inside him, but when he saw his leader point a blaster at a medic he jumped forward to stop Wheeljack. In the ensuing confusion Breakdown grabbed me and we fled, the sounds of death behind us as we ran for the Decepticon lines. Breakdown defected and swore allegiance to Megatron on the condition that he would never order his soldiers to shoot the fallen. When Dreadwing and Skyquake heard what the Wreckers had done they swore vengeance on that elite group, but that in itself was nothing knew as the brothers were always swearing vengeance for one wrong or another. Anyway, every mech or femme joining the Decepticon ranks is given an internal scan to see if they are carrying the slave code or any loyalty codes."

[**Loyalty codes**?] Bumblebee squeaked.

"Yes, Breakdown had already disobeyed one set of codes in saving my life but I feel he was able to do so because saving me was not in direct violation with the orders he had been given. Anyway, I found numerous codes in his program that shouldn't have been there, one was protocol 371, which overrode a mech's will in a matter and made them obey without question to who ever had the voiceprint in the code. At the time that I found it I thought it was excluded only to the Wreckers, as it made sense to keep such a protocol in elite fighters as they were, but then I found it in you."

[**Me**?] Bumblebee was glad he had finished the energon because the cup slipped from his fingers.

"Yes. Don't worry; I erased it so if anyone with the voiceprint should try enacting it you won't be affected. It was certainly an optic-opener when I found it."

Bumblebee was not comforted. [**If I had it, then is it possible everyone on my team has it as well**?]

"Given that you were a scout and you had it I would say that it is quite possible."

Bumblebee jumped to his pedes, [**I have to warn them! What if someone uses it on them? They'd be helpless! Just like I was helpless**!]

"Bumblebee calm down, let's just—" Knockout broke off as his com sounded. "Yes? Yes, Lord Megatron, we'll be right there. Come on, Bumblebee, we're wanted on the bridge and we'll appraise Lord Megatron of the situation once we see what he needs."

**Decepticons: 13**

**Autobots: 8**


	23. Two Brothers Reunited

**5 ways: Welcome and thanks for the review! You're the second person that I've 'wowed' with this story.**

**Iloveyou: Shockwave isn't a Decepticon, so you can root for Megatron's team if you want.**

**MissCHSparkles: Answers to some of your questions are in this chapter.**

**Answerthecall: Thanks!**

**Allseer: No, don't send the Jazz-man! Oh have mercy on— Wait, I just got an email from Megatron, and he says not to worry about Jazz so I guess send him at your own risk.**

**Huter: This chapter should make you happy.**

**WolfSpiritFlower: Welcome and thanks for the review! **

**64: Quickly read this chapter, and thanks for not coming after me.**

**Insert something creative: Thanks.**

{_Nemesis_}

Bumblebee and Knockout walked onto the bridge and froze at what they saw. Megatron and Soundwave were standing together, gazing down at something that rested in Soundwave's servos. Bumblebee felt a nervousness creep through his systems, he was not sure why as he could see nothing to be alarmed about but nevertheless his instincts were heightened.

Megatron looked up as the two 'bots entered and signaled them to come over. Bumblebee did not hesitate to cross the distance, his spark warning him that something was not right and he came abreast of Megatron to see what the other two were looking at. His spark stuttered, his processor having a difficult time computing with his optics were seeing.

[**Raf**?] He beeped his inquiry, optics wide as the little form moved in Soundwave's servos. Bumblebee watched as the brown haired head lifted to look at him, red rimmed brown eyes widened when they saw the new comer and the boy drew in a gasp of air.

"Bee?"

That one word was enough to snap Bumblebee out of his daze. His guardian instincts, awakening at the sight of his ward in Soundwave's hand, made him jump forward to gently snatch the little organic from the communications officer. Scanning his little brother to check for injuries, Bumblebee was relieved the boy only suffered from a heightened amount of distress but that was quickly dissipating as Raf clung to his guardian.

Bumblebee crooned lowly as he brought Raf up close to his chest plates. The boy latched onto him, trying to wiggle into a crevice as far as he could, small hands gripping so tight that Bumblebee doubted they could ever be dislodged involuntarily. The 'bot used a finger to gently rub Raf's back, trying his best to comfort and seek comfort at the same time.

Bumblebee looked up at the three watching Decepticons, the Vehicons were steadily ignoring anything not connected with their current jobs. [**Why is he here? Why did you bring him**?]

No matter how much the Decepticons had helped him, this was crossing the line. Bumblebee silently prepared to flee; knowing he would not be able to fight while holding Raf so running was his only option. Fresh tears from Raf certainly did not help the situation.

"Calm down, little scout," Megatron ordered, and Soundwave nodded to show his support. "Soundwave required help in building a strong defense program to render Shockwave's code harmless. Your ward is highly intelligent in the computer field for one his age, that is why Soundwave chose him and for no other reason."

Bumblebee had tuned out the last of what the Decepticon leader had said as he quickly remembered. Defense program. Slave code. MECH. Silas. Killing humans. Bumblebee looked down in alarm at Raf, who was looking up at him with concern. How could he hold Raf like nothing he had done had mattered? He could still feel the blood soaking into his pedes, even if had been washed away he could feel it. He felt incredibly dirty, and holding the innocent Raf only fueled his shame all the more.

"Bee?"

Bumblebee shook his head. [**I'm sorry, Raf, I shouldn't have picked you up. I'm sorry. I don't deserve to hold you**.] Bumblebee gently pulled him away and deposited him on Soudnwave's outstretched servo. The boy was too stunned to say anything, [**I'm sorry, so sorry. I wasn't thinking, I shouldn't have**—]

"STOP!" Raf shouted as Bumblebee started to turn away and the scout quickly whipped around to look at him. Raf had never shouted with such ferocity before so he really could not blame Bumblebee for looking so surprised. "Don't you dare leave me again! Don't you dare!" Shaking now with tears of frustration, Raf reached out for his guardian. "I know you didn't want to do any of that, I know someone forced you to, I'm not an idiot Bumblebee!" Raf hiccupped slightly, his lungs having inhaled too much in order to calm himself down. "Please?"

No guardian can ignore the sight of his ward's pain and tears. Bumblebee slowly reached forward and picked Raf up, cradling him gently to his chassis once again. [**I'm sorry, Raf, so sorry**.]

Raf hiccupped some more as he made himself comfortable in his guardian's hands. "I forgive you, just don't leave me, please don't. I need you, Bee, I need you just as much as you need me."

Bumblebee was silent as he hugged Raf to his body. With the boy calming down and rubbing his eyes, occasionally hiccupping now and then, the scout looked up at their audience. Megatron's face showed nothing, as did Soundwave's but Knockout's mouth was open and the Vehicons were frozen at their terminals, looking at the human boy in Bumblebee's hands.

Megatron followed Bumblebee's gaze and glared at the Vehicons. In a moment they were back to work and the Decepticon leader turned his attention to Bumblebee. "Little scout, as the human's guardian do you consent to him working alongside Soundwave?"

[**You really need his help**?] Bumblebee asked.

"Yes."

Bumblebee looked down at Raf, the boy smiled at him. "It's okay, Bee. I don't really know what is going on but if they need my help, and this will help you, then I want to do it."

"He will come to no harm, little scout," Megatron said, as Bumblebee hesitated. "Little human, how old are you?"

"Uh, thirteen?" Raf's answer came out more like a question as Megatron had surprised him.

"And how old must a human be to be considered an adult?"

"Um, twenty-one."

Megatron nodded, "He is little more than a youngling, barely out of sparklinghood. I swear on my honor, little scout, that if any harm comes to your ward while in Decepticon company I will personally kill the offender."

Bumblebee was stunned but he nodded his consent. "Very good," said Megatron, "we will allow you to explain the situation to him as he was too distressed earlier to listen."

The Decepticons moved away and Bumblebee held onto Raf as he began his story. The little boy was silent during his recounting, occasionally making a startled gasp or gripping Bumblebee's finger tighter. Bumblebee of course told his ward the edited version, as there was no reason to burden the boy or fill his head with unpleasant images.

"Bee?" Raf asked, once his guardian had ceased speaking. "This slavery code, is it possible for the other Autobots to have it?"

Bumblebee tilted his helm, [**Why do you ask**?]

"Because I think Optimus Prime invoked it on the others when they protested against his decision to kill you."

[**What**?] Bumblebee's outburst drew the three Decepticons back to them.

"What is it?" Megatron asked, noting the tense stance of Bumblebee and the fresh tears on the boy's face.

In a shaking voice, Raf recounted what had happened back at the Autobot base. Knockout stroked his chin, "What was the protocol?"

Raf scrunched up his face in concentration, "I think it was protocol 327, no 372," Raf pulled his hair in frustration, "I'm not sure, it happened so fast."

"Protocol 371?" Knockout asked, and the boy nodded. "That was not the slave code, merely a failsafe code to ensure obedience should a mech or femme disagree with an order. It is different from the slave code since protocol 371 erases all sign of the mech disagreeing with orders and makes them believe they were for it from the start."

Megatron turned away and looked out the viewport. He drew in deep intakes of cool air, trying his best to stay calm in light of this revelation. It was one thing to suspect that his old friend was not quite right in the head, but it was quite another to have those suspicions confirmed. Megatron placed his servo against the glass, his processor wandering back to old memories.

Shaking his helm, Megatron turned to the mechs who were waiting for orders. "Change in plans. Dreadwing," he called up to where the seeker was overseeing the helmsman. "Lower the ship into Earth's atmosphere, we must be sighted for the Autobots to come to us."

"We want the Autobots to find us?" Knockout asked, voicing what Bumblebee and Raf were too shocked to do.

"Of course, how else can we save them from themselves?" At the looks of confusion, Megatron decided, just this once, to elaborate, "Taking down Shockwave and MECH will require more firepower than even we have, the more of us the better our odds at stopping these slavers before they can complete whatever their endgame is. The Autobots are no different from any of us when we were under the influence of the slave code. The council may be dead but their madness is still spreading. Knockout, you will prepare the medical bay for the first mech I will bring to you for treatment will be Optimus Prime himself."

**AN: It was funny to watch you guys panic, but seriously, I would never have a child tortured like that. I mean, no one deserves to be in Shockwave's or MECH's hands but while I'm willing to put some mechs or humans in danger I draw the line at children being tortured. I'm not a sicko; I do have morals and integrity so panic, but don't freak out. Okay? All right, glad we got that out of the way, sorry to hold you up, as always please review.**

**Decepticons: 15**

**Autobots: 9**


	24. A Look at Dreadwing

**TheOddAngel: No problem, and you're welcome.**

**King: Welcome and thanks for the review!**

**Magic hunter: Welcome and thanks for the review! No, Starscream did not take Miko, she's a child so she falls under my 'no torturing children' policy. **

**Allseer: Yes, chapter 21 really happened, it just wasn't Raf. And cruel I may be but I'm not a mistress.**

**5 ways: There will be an epic battle.**

**Huter: You're welcome.**

**64: What did I do now?**

**TransformersBeeFan: Um, can I take the hug but bypass the kiss and strangling?**

**Thunderweb: Yes, it is.**

**Sora Matasuki: I have no idea; you won't be seeing him again anyway. **

**Autumnflowers: Oh, okay, glad you're reading it.**

**Proudtobeatwin98: Welcome and thanks for the review. I don't know, active imagination I guess, lots of time watching movies and reading books. I liked the TFP show but I thought they could have done a lot more with it than they did.**

**MissCHSparkles: Yep, Megatron and Optimus definitely have a lot to talk about.**

{_Nemesis_ – Knockout's Quarters}

Knockout was brought out of recharge by the ping of his com. Sitting up to answer, he glanced at the still recharging Bumblebee. The scout was on his side, one servo curled around a sleeping Raf, who had a pillow and blanket to make his nook a little more comfortable. The little human had certainly put in a hard day's work with Soundwave on building a perfect defense program to contain the slave code. After running various simulations Soundwave had called for a volunteer to try it on. Megatron had not been happy when Dreadwing had stepped forward; every one knew that the Decepticon leader had regarded Skyquake and Dreadwing as his surrogate sons. The younger gladiators had been among the first that Megatron had freed, their oaths of loyalty inspiring many to follow them.

"_Knockout, we are preparing to enter Earth's atmosphere. Consider yourself on medical standby_," Megatron said.

"Very well, Lord Megatron, I shall be in the medical bay."

Knockout swung his legs to the floor and stood up. _Claire de Lune_ filled his quarters, a piece he had hated ever since the Twilight movies had come out but Breakdown, who had not seen the sorry-excuse-for-a-romance movie, had liked the music and Knockout had forgotten to delete it since it had been the furthest thing from his processor when his partner had been killed. Well, since he was leaving his quarters he did not need to deal with it but he would have to remember to ask Bumblebee's opinion on the song.

{_Nemesis_ – Bridge}

"Have you recovered?" Megatron asked, and Dreadwing nodded. The Decepticon leader had had to fight for control over his natural instinct to push Dreadwing out of the way of Soundwave's data cable. No sire liked to see harm come to their child, and while Dreadwing was fully capable of looking after himself now still Megatron had wanted to protect him from the slave code being downloaded. Knockout had, quite reluctantly, agreed to be the voiceprint, as Dreadwing would never willingly obey him. So when the defense program had then been download into Dreadwing's processor everyone had stood still to see if it would work. When Dreadwing did not take the two steps forward as Knockout had ordered everyone on the bridge had exhausted their ventilator systems in relief.

"It was certainly an experience I will never want to go through again," Dreadwing said, and Megatron silently agreed with him. During the experiment, Bumblebee had left the room, not willing to see once again when he himself had lived through.

"Monitor the screens and let me know when you sight the Autobots," Megatron ordered and he turned away to exit the bridge.

"As you wish, Lord Megatron." Dreadwing shifted for a better view of the screens, his optics monitoring while his processor thought back of his surrogate sire. Had it not been for Megatron, Skyquake and Dreadwing would not have survived the gladiator pits. The two young brothers were greener than the grass on Earth when they were sent out to fight, but for some odd reason Megatron had taken them under his wing and taught them almost everything he knew in order to survive.

The death of Skyquake left a hole on Dreadwing's spark as well as Megatron's. Oh, the seeker did not blame Prime and Bumblebee for killing his brother, such was war, and they had both known that the possibility of them seeing each other again had been slight. No, what made him mad was the desecration of Skyquake's remains by Starscream, whose foolish plan had robbed Dreadwing of the right to properly see to his brother's remains.

Dreadwing watched as the _Nemesis_ lowered itself toward the ground. Megatron and his second lieutenant had decided on the Grand Canyon for their unofficial meeting with the Autobots. On another monitor was displayed the top of the ship, where Megatron waited with his squadrons of Vehicon seekers. Dreadwing and another five squadrons of seekers and grounders would be on hold, to be brought into the battle once the Autobots were distracted.

The seeker lieutenant pondered, very briefly, how this fight would be different from every other encounter with the Autobots. For once, Megatron's orders had been to wound only, not to kill. '_No one deserves to be stripped of their free will_', Megatron had said and Dreadwing reluctantly agreed with him.

The Autobots were the same as the Decepticons had been before Megatron had freed them. Even Prime himself most likely had a bazillion codes running through his processor that were most likely put in place to keep him from turning against the council or their wishes. Knowing what he did now certainly made Dreadwing look at every fight he had with the Autobots in the past with new optics. How many of them had been under the influence of protocol 371 when he had snuffed out their sparks?

A beeping brought Dreadwing out of his memories and he looked at the monitor. A ground bridge was opening not too far from the _Nemesis_ and Dreadwing watched as Prime, followed by six other Autobots, came running out. So the human boy had been telling the truth about the arrival of the three new 'bots, Dreadwing had had his doubts since the _Nemesis_ had not picked up anything but the seeker was glad to see that he was proven wrong.

"Lord Megatron was right," Dreadwing murmured, "Prime never does cease to disappoint." The seeker touched his com unit on the side of his helm, "Lord Megatron, the Autobots have arrived off the starboard side."

"_Acknowledged, Dreadwing, ready your troops and hold them on standby until I give the signal_."

"By your command, Lord Megatron."

**Decepticons: 16**

**Autobots: 8**


	25. Grand Canyon Battle

**AN: Wow, over 200 reviews! You guys rock! Surprisingly the guests reviewed the last chapter faster than the regulars did. It's funny how nobody commented on my dig at **_**Twlight**_**, I thought for sure that would get at least one sentence.**

**QuantumSheep: You now, officially, hold the spot of writing the longest review I've ever gotten. Thanks. Details, hmm, well what kind of details? If you mean like terrain or on the ship I'm kinda assuming that people have watched TFP and so know what the Autobot base or the **_**Nemesis**_** look like. Dark parts, well, unfortunately, life has dark places and not everyone is going to walk clear of experiencing some kind of pain or sorrow. As for Silas having Bumblebee kill people, need I remind you of Stalin, Marx, Hitler, Muhammad, etc., who also wanted to bring a new world order and didn't care how many people died in the process so long as their goal was reached? And I would never want to see this stuff in a children's show. Glad I caught your attention, I have a feeling you're going to be my biggest critic.**

**Ryder-hunter: definitely**

**Purest of Hearts: I know I'm writing a semi-dark fic but there are things even I don't want to know. Anyway, thanks for reviewing.**

**Jazzy Maned Wolf: Welcome and thanks for the review! Glad you like it.**

**Answerthecall: Thanks!**

**Thunderweb: What's even scarier are the tactics humans employ on other humans as a method of brainwashing. **

**5 ways: If you want the Autobots rid of the code then yes you want the Decepticons to win.**

**64: Just for that I ought to make you suffer but that would be unfair to my other reviewers. So I'll just have to find another way to get back at you. Maybe I'll send Megatron after you.**

**Nonny: I'm just taking a different spin on things, since Fanfiction allows me to do that. Anyway, welcome and thanks for the review!**

**MissCHSparkles: Hope this is exciting. What's with the demographic thing?**

**Chapter Summary: Brainwashed Autobots vs. Decepticons (title borrowed from Thunderweb's review)**

{Grand Canyon, Arizona} (**Just in case you mistook it for the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania.)**

Megatron and his squadrons of Vehicon seekers ran off the top of the _Nemesis_. Transforming as soon as they cleared the deck, the seekers nose-dived to the ground, opening fire on the Autobot grounders. The plan was simple enough, force the Autobots to split apart and keep them separate from each other.

The Twins on the battlefield meant the seekers had to keep their distance. Sunstreaker and Sideswipe had been specifically designed to take down seekers, their short-range jet packs and air-judo techniques making them a force to be reckoned with. Megatron had lost many a seeker to the Twins in the past and he was determined not to lose anymore, even if they were Vehicons.

Laser fire tore up the ground around the Autobots and they all dived to find cover. Megatron ordered the other seekers to split off by squadron and make diving runs on the Autobots. To wound was their goal, incapacitate even, but no killing, there had been far too much of that up to this point. The true beauty of this plan was that even if Shockwave were watching he would not know what was going on, he would merely assume it just another Autobot/Decepticon confrontation.

Megatron did not single out Optimus right away. Instead he concentrated his fire around the clustered four Autobots who were then forced to dive into the canyon for cover. Megatron grinned, knowing it was only a matter of time before Prime came running at him, probably had a code to make sure he would always combat the Decepticon leader.

As always, Optimus did not disappoint. Megatron was just getting ready to bear down on the separated Blurr when he saw the prime come into his line of vision, the barrel of his long cannon pointed at the incoming Decepticon leader. Megatron avoided the incoming shell, half transforming to grab hold of the Autobot leader and carry him to the other side of the canyon. They grappled with one another, trading blows that were evenly dealt on both sides, both of them were giving everything they had but for different reasons.

Optimus' blue optics were dull, a sign that a code had been activated. Megatron tried his best not to look his one-time friend in the optic, knowing he could ill afford to allow sentiment to hamper his movements. Sending a wicked blow to Optimus' head, Megatron almost missed the prime unsheathing the blade on his arm. He ducked just in time; receiving a scrape along the top of his helm instead of the gouge Optimus had been going for.

Megatron wasted no time in grabbing the sword arm and blasting the blade with his cannon. The metal splintered and broke, causing Prime to bring out the blade on his other arm but Megatron merely repeated the same action with that arm as well. Optimus retaliated by punching the grinning Decepticon in the face, causing Megatron to stumble back.

While the two leaders duked it out on the wall of the canyon, below the other Autobots had been forced to separate. Arcee had been the first to leave her group, hoping to outdrive the Decepticons in her motorcycle altmode but there were just too many Vehicons. A seeker came down before her, spinning on its side to shoot the wall next to her and Arceee transformed, hoping to clear the rocks but found herself pinned down by the debris.

She looked up, expecting to see a Vehicon ready to finish her off, but there was no one around. Straining against the rocks above her, Arcee succeeded only in bringing more down upon her and so she lay still. If any Decepticons came near her she would blast them to smithereens.

The Twins had scaled the canyon wall and were doing their best to catch hold of a seeker. Even using their jet packs made this mission difficult since the Vehicon seekers were doing their best to stay out of reach of the Twins. Having had enough of the engage-retreat tactics the Decepticons were deploying, both Twins hit their jetpacks and then Sunstreaker grabbed Sideswipe to throw him at the nearest Vehicon.

Usually when they grabbed a seeker that Decepticon did everything he could to shake them off before they could put out his spark. However, this day was filled with scenarios that were not working as well as they had in the past. The seeker Sideswipe had grabbed hold of, flipped belly side up and dropped straight down the ground. The twin was forced to let go or be crushed on impact, and as soon as he had dropped away the Vehicon flipped back around and took off. Disgruntled, the Twins set about looking for a new target.

Ratchet had been among the first to go down. While able to hold his own relatively well against legions of the undead, the medic was no fighter and as such had been easily taken out with a few shock blasts. Five Vehicons stood guard around his frame, all of them hoping that they would not be around once Ratchet was brought out of stasis.

Bulkhead and Blurr had managed to stay together at first but had then been forced apart. Blurr had scaled the wall and was actually not too far from where Megatron and Optimus were fighting, but the Vehicons kept him from taking a pot shot at the Decepticon leader. The youngling skidded on his tires and twirled around, firing his blasters at an incoming Vehicon and scoring a few shots on the seeker's front.

The Vehicon went down quickly and lay still. Blurr did not get a chance to celebrate as five more Vehicons converged on his position and laser fire erupted al around him. Rolling away on his tires, Blurr was forced to retreat away from the canyon or be singed by blaster fire.

Bulkhead had smashed a few Vehicons on his own and his confidence was growing. Hefting large rocks and throwing them at the incoming seekers had turned into quite a game for the Wrecker and bodies of Vehicons lay scattered about the canyon. Given the extra hard plating Bulkhead had simple laser fire was not going to cut it, so the Decepticon seekers instead focused their attention of bringing the walls around the Wrecker down, thus limiting Bulkhead's movements.

"_Lord Megatron, the Autobots have all been separated_."

Megatron pushed Optimus away and activated his com, "Dreadwing, bring in the reinforcements."

"_At once, Lord Megatron_."

Optimus quickly punched Megatron twice, not bothering to watch the Decepticon leader fight for balance but instead looking up at the _Nemesis_. A swarm of seekers, rising above the ship like a black cloud, descended on the Grand Canyon firing lasers with a vengeance. Dreadwing headed straight for Prime, spinning as he flew and firing his lasers.

Dreadwing transformed as he ran into Optimus, sending them both back several feet from Megatron. While Prime wrestled with his new opponent, Megatron circled them and readied his shock blast for an opening. Dreadwing was more than capable of holding his own against Optimus, but neither he nor Megatron had the time to waste with this fight.

Dreadwing drew his sword and Optimus had to use his broken blades to block the seeker's strikes. With Prime's back exposed, Megatron rushed forward but Optimus kicked Dreadwing aside and turned to fire a cannon blast at the Decepticon leader. Megatron narrowly avoided the shot by quickly jumping to the side and then pouncing on Optimus before the prime had time to recover.

The two titans fell to the ground with Megatron on top of Optimus. The Decepticon leader quickly used his weight to keep Prime's legs pinned while Dreadwing rushed forward to grab hold of Optimus' upper body. With the Autobot leader successfully restrained, Megatron pulled the prime's chest plates apart to expose the spark within and aimed his cannon at the bright light. Firing a shock blast from his cannon, Megatron watched as Optimus' frame jerked before his optics went offline.

Megatron and Dreadwing stood up, looking down at the unconscious prime. "See to the capture of the other Autobots, Dreadwing." Megatron ordered before he touched the side of his helm, "Soundwave, I require a ground bridge."

A swirl of green light opened a few feet away from him and Megatron hefted Optimus' heavy frame with the aid of a Vehicon. Dreadwing transformed and took off, flying high to get a better perspective of the situation before deciding which Autobot to take down next. Megatron dragged Optimus into the ground bridge and disappeared from sight.

**Decepticons: 17**

**Autobots: 8**


	26. Megatron's Second CPP

**Deception is Decepticon: This chapter just kind of sets the stage for the next chapter so probably not too much awesomeness.**

**Purest of Hearts: That was the plan.**

**QuantumSheep: I knew you would be my critic! So here's my defense. Okay, yes the battle was short but figure on this, Megatron did not have time to be horsing around and the Decepticons did outnumber the Autobots like 10 to 1. Also, I couldn't see Optimus lasting any longer than he did against Megatron and Dreadwing, who are both ex-gladiators and Prime isn't. Silas' motives will be revealed; I just don't like laying all of my cards down on the table at once.**

**Igeegeei: Can I keep you?**

**Answerthecall: Thanks; let me know if I do.**

**Starfire201: Here's hoping.**

**DEVINE.L: Oh Megatron is definitely not a happy camper.**

**64: As long as you are nice, Megatron will stay over here.**

**AN: Welcome to other new guests and a big thanks to the other reviewers!**

{_Nemesis_ – Medical Bay}

Seeing Optimus Prime in the medical bay of the Decepticon warship would never be a sight Megatron would get used to. The last time the Autobot leader had been on that berth under Knockout's instruments was when he had had amnesia, but this time could not be handled as easily as before, there was so much more to argue against than blank memory banks. Even once the necessary codes were erased there could still be ghost indentations left behind, it was never easy to eradicate a code that had been in place for centuries after all. If it had been then the revolution would have started all the sooner.

"Are we ready to begin, Knockout?'"

The medic looked up from where he had been running a scanner over Prime's spark chamber. While a shock blast directly hitting the spark guaranteed stasis it was often used as a last resort since it could cause damage along the nervous system. Luckily for Prime his larger frame helped him bear the trauma from the blow better and when he came online there would only be a buzz feeling swirling through his wires until it wore off.  
>"Yes, Lord Megatron." Knockout sealed the chest plates shut and tilted Prime's helm to the side, "Might I persuade you though to let someone else be on the other end of the cortical psychic patch? It has only been a few days since you—"<p>

"Your concern is noted, Knockout," Megatron cut him off, "but I cannot see anyone volunteering to sift through Prime's head. Besides," here Knockout could swear that his leader's optics softened, "better a friend than a stranger."

"Are you sure you do not want him conscious for this, my lord?"

Megatron narrowed his optics, "This is no distressed youngling we are dealing with this time, Knockout! Besides, there is most likely a code in place should Optimus see me on the other end of the patch link, you must be ready to erase any codes that are activated once I am in."

"Understood, Lord Megatron." Knockout inserted one end of the cable into Optimus' head while Megatron put the other end into the back of his own. The medic stood back to watch the monitor, "Well," he sighed, "here we go again." After a moment of watching the shifting lines of codes he sighed, "Human movies are definitely more entertaining."

"_Knockout pay attention_!"

The medic jumped, "Yes, my lord, sorry, my lord."

{_Nemesis_ – Inside Prime's Mind}

Megatron shook his helm at Knockout's apology and looked around the room he had landed in. Unlike when syncing with Bumblebee's processor, the Decepticon leader did not right away appear next to the representation of Optimus' consciousness. This one missing detail was enough to put Megatron on alert.

He recognized the room he was in with a grumble. The last time he had seen this chamber of glittering gold and white it had not looked so polished, since there had been no slaves to keep it clean. Back then his troops had held the council at blaster point while he had torn them apart with his bare servos one at a time, staining the floor and walls with energon.

Once the council was dead Megatron had given the order for the place to be razed to the ground. He had watched the council chamber crumble underneath the firepower of his army and an inspection of the ruins had shown the council's mutilated corpses exactly where he had left them. On that day Megatron had thought that he had defeated them, that their stamp of evil on the Cybertronians had been made null and void but he had been wrong.

What was it Soundwave had said? Oh yes, '_enough ghosts from the past have returned'_.

Where Megatron was standing was the place where mechs and femms stood to state their case. The council chamber was made in a rectangular shape; three sides were raised up high enough that no matter how tall the mech he would still have to crane his neck to see the council. The situation of the room was a deliberate set-up to show who held the power; even the council seatings were not equal as those on the length sides were slightly lower than those at the front. The three most powerful members of the council held the three highest seats, while the lesser members fanned out on the sides.

Megatron looked up and his optics glowered with rage. Just like in the old council chamber, in Optimus' mindscape three, shadowy looming figures were sitting in the high council seats. A look to the left and right showed that the other seats were empty, was this the last memory Optimus had of council chamber? Had only the three high council members been present when his old friend had accepted the mantle of the primes?

Shaking his helm, Megatron turned to leave a cold voice stopped him in his tracks. "Slave!" Like a coiled spring, Megatron turned on his heel and had his cannon aimed at the council members in a moment. Studying the shadowy figures above him Megatron wondered if they were like his own imaginations when he had been lost inside his mind but no, his mental shadows had not interacted with Bumblebee. "We knew you would find your way in here eventually, Megatronus, we know how much you care for the data clerk. Did you think that we would give him up so easily?'

The speaker was Halogen, a gold plated mech, and Traachan and Xaaron flanked him. Traachan had silver armor while Xaaron was jade but all three had glowing orange optics. Halogen had been the mastermind behind the making of the slave code and he and the rest of the council had voted on the new frames to be sparked like one would bet at a gladiator match, deciding which sparkling went to which caste based on a simple draw of the lots.

Megatron glowered at the high council members, "I already killed you."

"Did you really think we wouldn't have a contingency plan to fall back upon? We have been living far longer than you, slave, we have had more than enough time to think of what the consequences to our actions might be."

"And yet you still went and did them," Megatron said. He was not feeling himself, not all fiery tempered and snap at the littlest thing, he was feeling calm and in control. "So much for your wisdom. I will stop you now as I did before, and the only memory of your names will be linked with horror. What have you done with Optimus?"

"_If I may, Lord Megatron_," Knockout's voice broke through, thankfully only he could hear the medic, "_from my readings the high council imprinted their memories into Prime to build a sort of defense ring around his self so that no one could separate him from the codes they put in him. Now, I believe the only way we can delete the codes is for you to find Prime and convince him to side with you against them, then with you two on the inside and me on the outside we should be able to stay one step ahead of the council_."

"Your young friend is quite safe," Halogen was answering his question, "I assure you that we have been taking excellent care of him."

Megatron raised his cannon and fired three times, watching the shadowy shapes dissolve into nothingness. Grinning like he had been struck by madness, Megatron turned and walked out of the council chamber. Navigating the mind of Optimus Prime had never been going to be an easy task, but now it was boogey trapped by the council, which made it downright treacherous.

"_My lord I don't think that did any good_," Knockout said.

"Perhaps not," Megatron conceded, "but it felt good."

Standing out on a street in Iacon, Megatron looked about the city that he had left in ruins. There was no denying that it was a beautiful city, but its greatness had cost the lives and suffering of too many to make it worth leaving Iacon untouched. A city where the wealthy had thrived and turned a blind eye to the lower castes did not deserve to stay standing.

"Now, if I were Optimus Prime, where would I be?"Megatron scowled, wracking his processor for what he knew about the prime but then his face cleared and he smiled, "No, it is not Optimus I need to look for, Knockout."

"_Who then, my lord_?"

"Orion Pax."

**AN: MWAHAHAHAHAHA!**

**AN: Yes, so, originally Optimus was going to get freed in this chapter, but then the council wrecked my plans. *Megatron shoot them!* (Say that line in the voice of Frenzy from the first Transformers movie.) Anyway, as now a lot of going to happen while in Optimus' mind I needed another chapter just to deal with that so here felt like a good place to end for now. Also, I found different sources on the council so I just pulled a little here and there and spun together my own thing.**

**Decepticons: 17**

**Autobots: 8**


	27. Orion or Optimus?

**Chapter Summary: Orion or Optimus?**

{_Nemesis_ – Medical Bay – Inside Prime's Mind}

"_How did you come to that conclusion, Lord Megatron_?" Knockout asked.

"Simple," replied Megatron. "Halogen gave himself away. He said 'data clerk', exactly what Orion was before they made him prime. Optimus Prime is what the high council made; I need to find Orion Pax in order to drive Halogen and his goons out of here. Now, this will be much simpler for I knew Orion better than anybody, and there is only one place a data clerk would be," he smiled, "the Archives, which are in that direction." Megatron pointed to the right but deliberately turned to the left.

"_Uh, Lord Megatron_?" Knockout asked, clearly confused.

"I know what I'm doing, Knockout."

"_Of course you do, my lord_," the medic quickly appeased. "_I never thought for a moment that you didn't_."

"Hmph!" Megatron did indeed know what he was doing. While the city of Iacon looked as it should, from the steps of the council chamber, only dead mechs assumed everything would be all right. It would be too easy for the Archives to be where they should be, no, Megatron was sure that the council had set up a false projection. He was in Optimus' mindscape, but he needed to get into Orion's and that would not be easy.

There was no one about as Megatron walked the streets of Iacon. He had not expected to see any Iaconians anyway, since mindscapes usually just had the place but not the people who would have been there. However, given that the council had their hands in making this mindscape it would be more prudent to be ready for anything to show up.

"Where are you going, puny gladiator?" Traachan appeared before him, no longer a shadowy image but fully visible in his silver plating. "Surely the mighty Megatronus has not lost his way?"

"Hardly," Megatron raised his cannon and fired, barely pausing to admire the smoking hole in the downed councilmech before the frame disappeared. "What would you rather be watching now, Knockout?"

"_I must admit, Lord Megatron, that the rating of this video has certainly gone up."_

"Megatronus," Megatron was not surprised in the least to see the jade plated councilmember standing before him. "You are a foolish—"

Megatron did not give Xaaron time to finish; he just raised his cannon and fired. He smirked as the mech fell, "So even in death the council has not changed, they are still long-winded pipe mechs."

When Halogen showed up Megatron took it all in stride. "Slave!" That cold word was followed by a lunge, a punch aimed for his head, but Megatron ducked and shot the high councilor in the back. "Now this I could get used to."

Walking on, Megatron turned to see Halogen's body disappear. He growled in sudden frustration, "It cannot be this easy! Even the council were not as foolish as this! Knockout, can you see anything?"

"_Hmm, scans show an irregularity up ahead, try the alleyway on your right, my lord_."

Turning the corner Megatron stopped in triumph. Optimus Prime stood before him, guarding a glowing portal that could only lead to Orion. Megatron primed his cannon, "One more for the scrap heap."

"_Lord Megatron wait_!" He could hear Knockout tapping away at the board keys, "_This is the representation of Optimus Prime's consciousness_."

"So?"

"_My lord, the council would have needed a template to build their new prime on, there is no way they could do it from scratch. Therefore, they would have had to have taken what they considered the best aspects of Orion and then built Optimus Prime on top of those_."

"Are you saying—?"

"_Yes, they split him in half, essentially speaking. If you harm Optimus Prime, you will be harming Orion Pax_."

Megatron narrowed his eyes, "Oh, clever council."

"_Indeed, my lord. Your best course of action is to get past him as quickly as possible and into the portal_."

"Noted." Megatron walked forward to where Optimus Prime stood, "You must always be a thorn in my side, eh, Optimus Prime?"

Optimus regarded him with blue optics while he activated his wrist blades, "Megatron."

"Oh, bravo Optimus! You know my name. Now, how are we going to do this, hmm? Shall we clash together once more?"

"I must defend this portal."

"Then I shall burn Iacon unless you stop me. What? Don't you believe me?" Megatron turned slightly and fired at the building behind him, causing part of the wall to crumble from the impact.

"No!" Optimus shouted, rushing forward.

Megatron smirked, "So predictable."

Like they had in the real world not too long ago, the two titans grappled with one another. Megatron had been in enough practice sparring matches from his gladiatorial days to know how to fight without inflicting damage, and so he merely batted Prime's hands to the side all the while wearing a silly grin on his face. There really was nothing to the fight with Optimus being the only one who was attacking while Megatron just deflected the blows as if they were nothing.

Only when Optimus had been pulled away from the portal did Megatron strike. Grabbing hold of Prime's arm and pushing him quickly away so that he stumbled, Megatron turned and ran for the portal. He could hear Optimus recover, the thudding of pedes falling behind him reached his audios but it was too late, with a great lunge Megatron was through the portal.

Transported to the other side, Megatron turned to see the shape of Optimus Prime come to a stop before the portal.

"_I don't think he can enter, Lord Megatron_."

"Good." Megatron turned and found himself standing among the Archives. "Well, now it's only a matter of time till I find Orion."

It actually took even less time than Megatron had figured.

"1112, 1113, 1114, ah here's where this goes." Megatron tilted his helmet as he slowly moved forward, wishing the lines of data packets were not so tall and he could see where the speaker was. "Now, what's next? Oh, yes, 1235, let's see, that should be over here."

Megatron turned the corner and froze, for he had found Orion Pax. The archivist was standing on a ladder; data pads tucked under one arm while he moved up and down the shelves putting them away. It had been so long since he had seen Orion Pax, the small blue mech who had opened Megatron's optics to a life beyond the arena. Orion Pax looked nothing like Optimus Prime, his frame was skinnier, less durable, and a strong wind could easily have knocked him off that ladder.

Megatron stepped forward, "Orion," he managed not to choke out.

The data clerk jerked on the ladder, data pads slipping from his grip to crash on the ground, and Orion looked at the Decepticon leader. "Yes?"

"Do you not know me?"

The blue mech's white optics were wide, "Uh, should I?"

"We were friends once," Megatron said, nearing the ladder, "you taught me how to read."

"I did? Oh, well," the smaller mech tapped the sides of the ladder, "that's good because, uh, it's good to read, you know."

Megatron chuckled, "Yes, so you told me. Don't you remember doing it? How about when we first met? At the arena in Kaon? You came because a friend had dared you, and you came to see me after the games, you were quite shocked to find I couldn't read or write."

"Well that would have shocked anyone," Orion kept ducking his head, reminding Megatron that his friend had been painfully shy, a trait the council had obviously not needed for their prime. "Well, if you came to say thanks there's really no need, just doing my civil duty and all, now, if you'll excuse me, I really should be getting these data pads back to where they go."

"My name is Megatron," the Decepticon leader said, "but you used to know me as Megatronus."

Orion froze from where he had been picking up the data pads and he looked up at Megatron, really looking at him this time. "Oh Primus help me!" To Megatron's great astonishment, Orion dropped the data pads and fled.

"_It is quite possible that_—"

"Be silent!" Megatron snapped before taking off after his friend. "Whatever damage has been done I will fix it."

It did not take long to find the smaller mech since his scrawnier frame had not been built for running. "No! No! You're dead! The council killed you! You're a ghost!"

Megatron grabbed Orion and held him close, doing his best to stay the thrashing limbs. "Can a ghost hold you as I am? Can it touch you as I am? I am real, Orion, believe me!"

Orion looked up at him, frightened optics trying to make sense of what they were seeing. "You have to go. The council will—"

"The council is dead, Orion, there is nothing but shadows of them remaining. We're in your mindscape, Orion, do you hear me? They have split you in two, I'm here to save you."

Orion smiled hesitantly, "Just like I saved you?"

"Exactly. Now, your other half has been made into a prime, I need you to merge—"

"That's impossible," Orion protested, "I can't be a prime, I'm too weak, too small!"

Megatron released Orion only to grab him by the helm and make him look at the Decepticon in the optic. "Where has your courage gone, Orion? Where is the clerk who befriended the angry gladiator and taught him to read and write? Where is my friend who stood with me before the council when everyone else was too scared too?"

Orion shuddered, and coolant reached his optics, "He died. When the council told me you were dead, when they shoved me in here to work until I dropped, I died, Megatron. I couldn't get out, no matter how hard I tried." Orion wrenched his face out of Megatron's hands and backed away, "Do you know how long it's been since I've spoken to anyone? I've been alone, wandering the halls of the Archives, trying to pretend it's just another day at work and then… Then you come and tell me it's all been a dream."

Megatron watched in silence as Orion fell to the floor and rested his helm on his drawn in legs. "I gave up keeping track of the days, I'm not even sure when I started talking to myself, and I…I might be a little insane."

Megatron stepped forward, offering his hand, "Then let's go make you whole."

Orion looked at the servo Megatron held out to him and then looked up at the ex-gladiator. "If…If you're sure I'm worthy?"

"There isn't a worthier mech in the universe." Seeing that Orion still looked doubtful, Megatron crouched slightly, "Trust me, as you once did, Orion, trust me as I trust you."

Blinking somewhere between shyness and fright, Orion carefully took the offered servo and was pulled to his feet. Megatron steered him towards the portal but standing before it Orion shied away. "I-I'm afraid."

"Good," replied Megatron. "Courage is nothing without fear, and only fools boast that they are not afraid." Orion looked up at him, his frame still shaking, "I will be by your side, Orion, I will not leave you alone. Once we have the other half of you subdued you must merge with it at once, I will protect you from anything the council has set in store."

Orion hesitated before nodding, he would not be able to fight much but Megatron had enough simmering rage for the both of them. Together, Megatron leading Orion, they stepped through the portal and appeared before Optimus Prime. While Orion choked on a cry of surprise, Megatron leapt forward, smashing quickly through the prime's defenses until he had Optimus pinned to the ground.

"Now Orion!" Orion, trembling, hurried forward and fell on top of Optimus Prime, their frames glowing blue and orange. Megatron got up and faced the end of the alley where Halogen, Traachan and Xaaron had appeared. Priming his cannons, Megatron called out to his medic, "Knockout! Talk to me!"

"_Oh, do you need me now, Lord Megatron? Well, you will be happy to hear that Orion and Optimus are merging without complications but until the process is complete they should not be interrupted_."

"Understood." Megatron fired his cannons, hitting the three councilmembers but as soon as their bodies fell they were replaced by six mechs. Two versions of Halogen led while two Traachans and two Xaarons followed. "Knockout, any codes you can get rid of from outside would be appreciated."

"_At once, Lord Megatron_."

Megatron fired his cannons again, and again the council fell before him. Yet when they returned there were nine of them, three copies of each councilmember. Megatron continued to fire, not caring that bringing down one mech brought back two to take its place, he just needed to buy Orion time. However, even a mighty fighter like Megatron cannot stand against an ever increasing mob of mechs who get closer at every step.

Megatron drew his sword and slashed at his enemies, roaring with victory when they fell in pieces before him. Yet even he could not move fast enough to stop them from grabbing him, pulling him down, from a corner of his optic he saw two Traachans heading for Orion, still merging with Optimus, and he screamed his fury. Megatron threw off the mechs on top of him and ran, slicing with his sword threw one Traachan and then another.

Hefting his sword, Megatron rushed the oncoming councilmembers and their copies. A battle cry bursting forth from his vocal chords, Megatron cut down as many as he could before he was once again grabbed and forced to his knees. A shiny blade came into his view and holding it was Halogen.

"You have failed, slave, now you will never leave." Halogen raised the sword above his head, waited a moment so that Megatron knew exactly what was coming, and then brought the blade down.

"NO!"

**AN: So, this chapter got a little away from me, which my chapters seem to be doing lately. Anyway, review and let me know what you think, and any ideas on what happens next.**

**Decepticons: 19**

**Autobots: 8**


	28. A Long Night

**MissCHSparkles: You're welcome. **

**Igeegeei: Yes, it takes place before the destruction of the omega lock**

**DEVINE.L: They can't be physically hurt, but they can be mentally.**

**QuantumSheep: No, not like Morpheus. The council's plan was more to trap Megatron's consciousness in Optimus' processor. **

**5 ways: Liked your idea, here's hoping I do it justice.**

**Chapter Summary: A Long Night**

{_Nemesis_ – Medical Bay – Inside Prime's Mind}

A blade shot out and halted the progress of Halogen's sword. The blue shimmering form of Optimus Prime pushed the high councilmember away from Megatron and swiped at the forms holding the Decepticon down. Megatron was quickly on his feet and two friends back to back against the horde.

"Knockout! How do we do this?"

"_Both of you must attack the virus together_," the medic replied. "_There is very little I can do from out here, I'm sorry my lord. The council's imprints can only be destroyed by joint power, that is all I can tell you_."

Optimus and Megatron looked at one another. "It is enough." Together they raised their cannons side by side and blew a Halogen to pieces. Then, remaining with their backs to one another, they held their arms raised, side-by-side, and shot their cannons in sync. The blasts hit their targets together, smashing into the council's duplicates and sending the frames crashing to the ground.

Spinning in a circle, Megatron and Optimus continued to fire at the encroaching enemy. The pile of bodies around them increased with each falling frame, and Megatron was pleased to see that no more duplicates appeared to take the place of the fallen. The only thing that kept this battle from being real was the lack of energon being splattered about.

Finally the last councilmember fell, a Traachan, and there were no more. For a moment Optimus and Megatron stood at the ready, waiting with primed cannons for any sign of movement but there was none. Slowly they straightened up and moved away from one another.

"Knockout, report."

"_All systems are clean, Lord Megatron. There is no sign of the virus and with the removal of the council's imprints I have been able to delete several hundred unnecessary strings of code_."

"Very good." Megatron turned to Optimus, who was gazing about him with a stunned expression.

"This is my mindscape," Optimus murmured, "and I do not like it." Without another word the scene shifted around them to be replaced by an image from Earth. Megatron did not recognize it but he admitted, silently to himself, that it was pleasant. They were both standing on a grassy hill, warmed by the sun while wind swept through the trees nearby.

"My friend," Optimus turned to Megatron, "are you ready to wake up?"

A small smiled graced Optimus' lips, "Yes."

{_Nemesis_ – Medical Bay)

Megatron opened his optics and carefully detached the cable from his medical port. He looked over with some slight trepidation as Knockout disconnected the other end of the cable from Optimus Prime. There was an interesting thing, with his processor restored who was it really on the medical berth, Orion Pax or Optimus Prime?

Blue optics came online and Megatron undid the restraints. The helm turned to him, regarding him for a moment before his friend spoke. "Megatron?"

"Yes."

An intake of air, cycled, and then vented. "You shot me."

Megatron smiled, "It was necessary, my friend. You would not have been cooperative otherwise."

Sitting up, the red and blue mech stared at his servos and frame with widened optics. "Is something wrong?"

"I do not know. I feel like myself, but then I do not." He looked up at Megatron, "It is as though two processors have shared my frame, leading two entirely different lives. I can hardly make sense of all the memories I'm reviewing."

"As your attending physician," Knockout stepped in, "I recommend a full night's recharge in order for your memory banks to be put into order, once you come back online tomorrow morning everything should have sorted itself out."

"An excellent suggestion, Knockout," Megatron steadied Optimus on his pedes, who acted like a sparkling receiving his youngling frame and wobbled fearfully.

It took no time at all to steer his old friend to the recharging berths behind the medical bay. Finding the largest berth possible, Megatron got Optimus situated and only breathed a sigh of relief once he saw the prime's systems shut down for recharge. Trying very hard not to skip with glee on his way out, Megatron exited the medical bay and made his way down the hallway to the nearest elevator.

For a moment the deck swayed beneath him, making Megatron grab hold of the wall for support. He waited until the spell passed before he straightened and continued on, hoping that Soundwave had been too busy with something else to see his leader's moment of weakness. He would have to recharge soon before Knockout got on his case about irresponsibility in maintaining his health after strenuous mental activity. No, he definitely did not need Knockout's nagging at a time like this.

First, though, he had to check on what had happened on the battlefield. By now it must be over yet he must still know the outcome, see the list of wounded, if there were injured, and check on the condition of the Autobots. It was good that Cybertronians could not get headaches that the humans complained about getting so much, otherwise his life would be that much more difficult.

He had actually not gone that far from the medical bay when he had company. [**Lord Megatron**?] The little scout, Bumblebee, was nervously standing before him.

"Ah, little scout," Megatron took advantage of the situation, not really caring at the moment if it upset the youngling but, by the AllSpark, he could not continue the pretense that everything was all right. Before Bumblebee had a chance to understand what was happening, Megatron settled a hand on his shoulder and tried his best not to lean too much of his greater bulk on the smaller mech.

No one could accuse Bumblebee of being slow on his pedes. While the situation was far from ideal, after all, who wanted to be this close to Megatron?, Bumblebee nevertheless did not shirk his duty. He tucked himself under the Decepticon's arm, and wrapped one of his own around Megatron's waist, or at least half way round anyway. While the Decepticon leader's optics showed surprise, Megatron nevertheless leaned gratefully on the little 'bot. Neither of them said anything as they progressed down the hallway.

Megatron was all for using the scout's assistance to the elevator and parting ways there with an unspoken agreement never to speak of this incident. The writer will allow Megatron a few minutes to believe that he could get away with this plan.

…

…

…

"Lord Megatron," Dreadwing greeted them, his optics betraying nothing of what he thought at seeing his surrogate father requiring assistance from the little Autobot. Megatron, on the other hand, mentally groaned, as he knew Dreadwing would later inquire about his health. Then there were also the score of Vehicons following Dreadwing, with the cuffed Autobots in tow. He would never get to live this down.

"Dreadwing," Megatron dearly wanted to let go of Bumblebee and stand up tall but he knew his frame would not handle the strain. The scout had come along at the right time, Knockout, blast him, would probably cackle with glee once he found out. "Report."

Dreadwing stepped aside so that both Megatron and Bumblebee could see his entourage. Arcee was in front, firmly clasped in the servos of one Vehicon and, thankfully, in stasis. The next was one of the Twins, the red one, and Megatron felt Bumblebee shift next to him.

It was that shift that distracted Megatron, that made him look down and fail to see in time what Bumblebee was able to. [**No**!] Bumblebee pushed Megatron towards the wall, a usually impossible feat for one his size but a key factor that helped him was that the Decepticon leader had been leaning on him. It was really quite simple just to shift that weight away from him, and that was what Bumblebee did.

Megatron, not expecting this sudden movement, went against the wall. Bumblebee thought the target was Megatron, but Sideswipe was not even aiming for the Deception leader. The Twin had seen Bumblebee and acted, breaking one arm free from his cuffs, and the grip of a Vehicon, to launch a blaster bolt at the scout.

By the time Megatron had gotten his pedes back under him it was all over. Sideswipe was down on the deck; Dreadwing had smashed the Twin repeatedly and then cuffed his servos and pedes. Bumblebee was lying beside Megatron, a hole near his spark chamber and energon leaking from the wound.

"Get them to the brig, Knockout can scrub them of their codes later!" Megatron, processor threatening to black out on him, bent down and hefted up Bumblebee in his arms.

"Lord Megatron!" Dreadwing protested, "Let me or one of the Vehicons take him!"

"You'll do as you're ordered!" Megatron snapped, before running back the way he had come with the wounded Bumblebee.

Knockout was definitely unprepared for Megatron's entrance into the medical bay and nearly fell down. However, he was able to quickly hook up life support to Bumblebee and begin working on the wound. Of course he would have liked to have known what had happened but questions could come later, anything could come after he had made sure Bumblebee was out of danger.

Or so he thought.

A crash made Knockout jump and turn around. Megatron had lost his balance and was leaning against the wall, optics blinking in weariness. Knockout needed only a second to think of what could have happened to cause this collapse.

"Of all the irresponsible—" Knockout could not finish, he just gave up. Making sure Bumblebee was stable for the moment; Knockout grabbed hold of Megatron and led him back to the emergency recharging berths. The only other large berth was next to where Optimus Prime was still deeply recharging, so Knockout set Megatron down there with firm orders to recharge immediately. "Honestly, call me a reckless, racing junky and what does he do? Go under two cortical psychic patches in less than five days and hardly let himself recover from either."

**AN: *****head thumps on the keyboard***** It's over! Optimus Prime is saved and the other Autobots will soon be cleaned of the bad codes. I can take a break now. Maybe sleep for a week and not worry about anything… Oh wait, there's still Smokescreen and Wheeljack, they're about due back soon I think. *facepalm***


	29. Shockwave's Twisted Experiments

**AN: 300 reviews! Still can't believe it!**

**FallenNietehre: Welcome and thanks for the review!**

**TheOddAngel: Was that shock? Lol.**

**Purest of the Hearts: Bee called him Lord Megatron out of respect, since the older mech had done so much for him.**

**Daywalker03: Welcome and thanks for the review. Yes, I got the idea and then it expanded farther than even I was expecting.**

**64: I keep wowing people.**

**Answerthecall: No idea how I'm going to work with Smokescreeen and Wheeljack**

**5 ways: You're welcome and thanks.**

**Starfire201: Shockwave's too busy, as you'll see.**

**Adoglover5: Welcome and thanks for the review! **

**Thunderweb: Don't worry; Bumblebee is out of danger of being shot by friendlies again.**

**QuantumSheep: Odd vibe? Uh-oh.**

{Shockwave's Lab}

Starscream cowered in a corner, his frame shaking. His red optics were glued obediently on Shockwave's operation table, where the larger mech had told him to look. His spark ached to look away, to avert his optics from the gruesome sight of the scientist's experiments.

"At last," Shockwave said, pushing the discarded body onto the floor. "Clean that up, Starscream."

The seeker was quick to obey. Rushing forward to pick up the dead human and use a cloth to wipe away the mess. He was able to retreat from the room long enough to bury the human's remains, but returning to the lab was inevitable.

"Starscream," the seeker approached Shockwave, optics looking down at the cable the scientist held. Whimpering, Starscream raised his servos to stop Shockwave but a command left his frozen. His helm was jerked to the side and his medical port was wrenched open. The cable inserted and the necessary information downloaded, "You have your next target, bring him to me now."

Starscream nodded, turning away to leave, but Shockwave grabbed him. "You will contact no one. You will not warn your target or speak to any other human. Perform well and I will reward you with high-grade energon."

Nothing was said about failure, but then failure was not an option. Starscream took off running, transforming as soon as he cleared the entrance and engaging his afterburners. Flying was a seeker's joy; being grounded for too long could wear down a seeker's mentality and make them crazy. Shockwave knew this, and kept Starscream flying just enough to keep him, sane but not as much as the seeker would have wished.

Starscream allowed himself a brief moment to relish in the feel of the wind on his wings. Letting his processor clear, just for a little bit, and then he was abruptly brought back to reality by the pinging of his sensors warning him of his approach to Nevada. The mission was easy and he executed it perfectly. Swooping down just as his target was crossing the street on his bike, and snatching the human before he had time to react.

Flung harshly into the cockpit, the human was secured within a second. Amid the screams of bystanders, Starscream turned back and flew in the direction he had come. Going well beyond mach 4, the seeker disappeared within the blink of an eye from the inhabitants of Jasper, Nevada.

With his passenger there was no time to imagine that he was not under Shockwave's control. The human got over his initial shock quickly, it was not long before he started hitting the sides of the cockpit and yelling in a language that was not English. Starscream had not downloaded that particular language in his processor so he was unable to understand a word, which was probably for the best since knowing what Shockwave's victims were saying could be just as painful as watching them being taken apart.

This target was different though. Shockwave had known about this human, instead of just telling him to grab a specimen off the side of the road as in the past, there had been a file on this human. The last name had been familiar but Starscream did not have the processor power to run a search through his memory banks for the answer. The effort gone into selecting this one human from among billions meant that Shockwave had a bigger plan than simply cutting this human open.

Back at Schokwave's lair Starscream landed and ejected the human from his cockpit. Grabbing the human, Starscream headed down the hallway where Shockwave waited in his lab. The large, red optic held no regard for the seeker but with his prize. "Strap him onto the table."  
>"Que Dios me ayude! Déjame ir robots extranos!"<p>

"Bienvenidos a mi universo," Shockwave replied to the struggling human, before moving forward.

Starscream had not been ordered to stay so he quietly began his retreat. He was almost to the door before Shcokwave stopped him, "You will watch, Starscream, and bear witness to this new age."

Starscream cowered in the corner like before. This time was different though, Shockwave did not cut the human up but instead began to attach small metal rings around the human's throat, wrists and ankles. Once each piece was attached Shockwave tapped a few buttons and the metal rings shrunk till they were securely fastened around the human. Then they glowed orange and the human screamed, the sounds burning Starscream's audios and making him cringe but Shockwave appeared unaffected.

It took a minute and then it was over. Shockwave released the restraints fixed his one optic on the human gasping at his feet. "Stand."

Starscream's vents sputtered as the human obeyed. "Whom do you serve?" Shockwave asked.

"I…serve…you.'

**AN: Apologies if the Spanish isn't correct.**

**Decepticons: 19**

**Autobots: 8**


	30. One Step Behind

**Opusj: Welcome and thanks for the review! Shockwave's got a plan.**

**Nobody: Everyone's a critic, thanks for pointing that out. And thanks for the review!**

**5 ways: Raf can speak English so I just assumed that his family could also speak English to some degree.**

**TheOddAngel: Just for you :) **

**64: I don't like the predacons, but don't worry, Shockwave will have an army.**

**Answerthecall: Thanks**

**QuantumSheep: Of course I do.**

{_Nemesis_ – Cargo Bay}

Arcee ignored the chaos around her and just sat on an overturned, empty energon storage case. Coming out of stasis had been a nightmare, she had been grateful that Prime had been there to greet each of them and explain what had happened. She felt violated, not by Knockout, surprisingly, but by the council. She had never wanted to be a soldier, she had felt unsure about Megatron's revolution and had decided to just go neutral in the whole thing.

While Arcee ruminated about the past there were more lively conversations going on around her. Sunstreaker found himself in that odd position of giving comfort and restraining his red twin, when usually Sideswipe was the voice of reason and the yellow twin was the hothead. Sideswipe had been inconsolable for the first hour, going so far as to try to offline himself after he remembered shooting Bumblebee. His plan thwarted, Sideswipe had then turned the blame on Prime, yelling and cursing at him as Sunstreaker and a few Vehicons held him back. Prime had taken it all, not even stopping Sideswipe when the red twin had managed to get a servo free and punch the larger mech. Now Sideswipe had moved from blame to guilt. Wrapped in Sunstreaaker embrace, the red twin despaired of Bumblebee ever forgiving him, despite his brother's reassurances to the contrary.

Ratchet was not in the cargo bay. The medic had recovered the fastest from the shock and had requested to join Knockout in treating Bumblebee. Bulkhead, on the other hand, had smashed a few crates and was looking to break some more. He had shouted at Sideswipe to stop worrying, that Bumblebee was still alive, but the wide mech was carrying just as much guilt as the red twin, just for the dead. He had been so proud of being a Wrecker, of telling stories of his deeds to Miko, but he realized that Dreadwing was justified in his pursuit in wiping the Wreckers out.

"Miko!" Bulkhead stopped, turning to the other three bots who had snapped out of their own lines of thought at his outburst. "Scrap! What about the kids?"

Arcee was off the crate and running to the door in a second. Megatron and Prime had put them in here since the quarter level was packed already, and this had been the most available place for them to recharge or refuel if needed. There were two Vehicon seekers outside, sentries who were to be as much of a deterrent against the Autobots roaming as they were to be against other Decepticons coming to take a peek at the 'disillusioned' enemy.

"We need to talk to Prime!" Arcee said, as she skidded to a stop before the two Vehicons blocking her exit. "Please, it's important!"

A shared look passed between the two before they reached a decision. "I will escort you, the rest of your group will stay here."

Arcee did not protest but quickly followed her escort down to the hallway to the elevator. She was trying to remember when the last time was that they had seen their human charges. Raf had been with them when Prime had activated the protocol and she remembered that her leader had, basically, kicked Raf out. Then he had called Jack and Miko and told them to stay away for their own safety until further notice. Miko had not taken that sitting down, but neither had she been willing to go against Prime, luckily.

{_Nemesis_ – Bridge}

Megatron was more than happy to accept his friend's decision. Optimus was dead, it was a name the council had given Orion Pax and he wanted nothing to do with it anymore but he would continue to uphold the mantle of the primes, since that position had been around long before the council's corruption. So, it was Orion Pax who stood beside Megatron on the bridge of the Nemesis, the Prime of the Cybertronians. The change from Optimus back to this new Orion was noticeable to everyone. Instead of being a mech who has in control and self-assured, Orion's strengths were tempered by his shyness and his willingness to listen to other ideas. Like he had in the past, Orion helped balance Megatron, the two worked well together and the Decepticon leader was sure that this time around the ideals for which he had started the revolution would be achieved.

Megatron was currently bringing Orion up to speed on where they had at least pinpointed MECH's base. The situation with Shockwave was less known and Soundwave was off in a corner zooming through hours of surveillance videos in the blink of an optic. When Arcee was escorted onto the bridge Megatron had a sudden epiphany that seeing Autobots walking freely around the _Nemesis_ was a sight he was going to have to get used to.

"Arcee?" Orion asked, raising an optic ridge at her approach. Both leaders had felt it better for the newly scrubbed coded Autobots to rest from the mental trauma but obviously the small recon soldier had other ideas.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, Prime, but we are concerned about our human charges. We've had no contact with them for at least three days now and while the Decepticons aren't a threat to them anymore you and I both know that Earth has its fair share of danger."

"Raf is down in the medical bay," Orion said, remembering the way the boy had forgiven him for the mech's harsh treatment when he had thrown Raf out a few days ago. "He said he would not leave Bumblebee's side. As for Jack and Miko, yes, there is cause for concern here." Orion looked at Megatron, "we will also have to contact Agent Fowler and think of some way to calm Raf's family down. They are most likely quite distressed over the disappearance of their youngest."

Megatron felt like whacking himself in the helm but restrained himself. "I quite forgot about the sparkling's caretakers."

Orion nodded, "We will have to ask Raf to call his parents. I'm sure Soundwave can set up a secure line?"

"Of course," Megatron turned to call his communications officer but was surprised to see Soundwave approaching rather hurriedly. "Soundwave report!"

Soundwave came to a stop before Orion and Megatron. He started playing various audio clips, "_It just came out of the sky_!" "…_grabbed him right off the street_!" "Dónde está mi marido?!" "_The Esquivel family has been placed under government protection due to the disappearance of their youngest son and the public abduction of Mr. Esquivel_." "_Are we under attack_?" "…_Japanese robots_…" "…_aliens_?"

Silence reigned on the bridge as all the mechs and femme digested what they had just heard. They were stunned, their processors whirling with this new information and looking to each other in astonishment. Arcee summed up the entire scene with one appropriate word and everyone agreed with her.

"Scrap!"

**Decepticons: 19**

**Autobots: 9**


	31. Megatron Impersonates Noah

**AN: So everyone's happy with Orion's decision to drop 'Optimus'? Just asking 'cause none of you commented on it last chapter.**

**Starfire201: Yes, you did! Hmm, Arachnid huh? I see possibilities.**

**Deception is Decepticon: I was wondering what happened to you.**

**Thunderweb: Shockwave did not kidnap a kid, he had Starscream grab Raf's dad, and he knew it would be noticed. That was the point.**

**DEVINE.L: the Japanese line was more in reference with the first Transformers movie, when Sam is talking to Mikaela about Bumblebee and saying that it was most likely Japanese. **

**Sora Matasuki: Be vocal, sometimes it helps.**

**Answerthecall: I can promise that nothing really, really bad will happen to the children.**

**64: Keep reading and you'll find out.**

**Igeegeei: Raf's dad. I'm thinking about Starscream, but I might let him suffer a bit more to help him grow up.**

**5 ways: See? Just like I thought.**

**FallenNietehre: That's a good reaction, right?**

**Chapter summary: Megatron is an accommodating host.**

{_Nemesis_ - Bridge}

"Our priority should be to bring Mrs. Darby, Jack and Miko to the _Nemesis_ immediately," Orion said.

Megatron raised an optic ridge, "Of course, why don't I open a zoo as well? After all, I've already taken in your Autobots, what's another three or four humans? Are there any homeless animals you wish to rescue? Perhaps I could even be like that biblical figure Noah?"

"Who's that?" Arcee asked, earning her a look from the Decepticon leader.

"You have lived how many years on that organic planet and have not read their oldest record of their history?" he asked.

"You know I would not encroach upon your hospitality any longer than necessary," Orion said, stepping in to prevent any animosity build up between Megatron and Arcee. "However, with this very clear attack on Raf's family I feel Shockwave is making himself known, or at the very least deliberately alerting us of his actions."

"Naturally I agree with you," Megatron smirked. "Arcee, you and Bulkhead will go down to Earth and retrieve your charges, along with their parental units if they wish to come."

Arcee looked at him before turning to Orion, "Your orders, sir?"

Orion sighed, "Arcee, while we are on the _Nemesis_ Megatron's word is above mine as he is our host, I do, however, agree with him on this."

Arcee nodded and Soundwave opened a ground bridge through which she jumped quickly. "I suppose, my friend, that we should go over terms of a ceasefire or a treaty of some sort so as to avoid any confusion over one of us giving orders to each other's soldiers. For my part, I would prefer to disband the Autobot faction, as it no longer stands for any noble cause."

Megatron waved his servo dismissively, "There will be plenty of time to discuss such things after we deal with MECH and Soundwave." He turned to the viewscreen, "Since we are, as of yet, unsure where Shockwave is located it is best to go after the enemy that we do know. Soundwave has pinpointed MECH's base at the border of Canada and Alaska. I shall assemble several squadrons of grounder Vehicons and we will attack within one hour."

"Are we permitted to accompany you?" Orion asked.

Megatron gave him an appraising glance, "Could you kill a human, Orion? Make no mistake in thinking that human lives will not be taken today."

"Surely not all of them—"

Megatron moved in closely, making sure that no one other than Orion could hear him, "Everyone within MECH must be eliminated. They know too much about us and there is no way to determine quickly who had a hand in torturing your scout and who did not. Any human with the knowledge of the slave code must die; it is the only way to fully erase that plague's existence. I will not excuse a single life, no matter the consequence, MECH must be fully purged."

Orion sighed, "Those who live should value their lives and those of others above everything else. I cannot condone a massacre, but I do understand what you are saying, Megatron."

"A massacre is often termed to people who have been killed without defense," Megatron quipped. "I assure you that Silas' men will hardly be defenseless, the man is too crafty to be taken unawares. It's not like there will be sparklings around the place, those men are adults and can be fully held responsible for their actions. Silas will be expecting an attack, and will most likely have weapons closely resembling our technology due to the times he has been able to study our people! Attacking MECH is no different from attacking an Autobot or Decepticon stronghold, which we have both done countless times over the years."

"That was not me," Orion whispered.

Megatron looked away, angry with himself before he rallied and looked at Orion, "You will stay here and oversee Soundwave's investigation for Shockwave's whereabouts, as well as keeping an eye on your Autobots and make sure they don't do anything foolish."

The relief in Orion's optics made Megatron turn away. He knew his friend was not weak, nor was Prime a coward, but they had never agreed on violence being the answer to solving conflicts. Megatron was all for using words to solve those situations that could be resolved by negotiation, but sometimes fighting back was the only clear way to get one's point across.

"You also have leave to convert an unoccupied space into living quarters for the humans that will have everything they need in order to survive here. Nothing luxurious, I am not running a hotel after all, but just the basics of what they need to keep themselves clean and fed."

Orion nodded, the look in his optics signaling that he was already calculating what they would need and how to get it. "I'm sure with Soundwave's and Knockout's help I will be able to find a suitable place for the humans to stay." Megatron nodded and turned to walk away, but Orion stopped him, "Megatron, you've changed." His friend raising an optic ridge at him made Orion clarify his statement, "I mean, from how you were before the war. It's a good change, your anger has been tempered by being in command, I think, and you really have become a champion for the weak."

Megatron tilted his helm, thinking back and smiled when he remembered. "That was what I wanted to be from the beginning, wasn't it? To fight for those who could not fight for themselves."

{_Nemesis_ – Medical Bay}

"How are you really coping with what happened?" Knockout asked. The red medic was leaning against the wall near the table where Bumblebee's unconscious frame was laying. His optics flickered briefly to the small body resting lightly on the scout's chassis, marveling not for the first time how connected Raf and Bumblebee were.

Ratchet sighed; his servos were meticulously cleaning Knockout's medical tools for the sole purpose of having something to do. "When I think about the times when I refused to help a patient unless they had something to offer to the Autobot cause I feel sickened. Decepticons and Autobots died on my watch and I just stood by without bating an optic, if they weren't useful than there was no point in saving them. I can see all their faces, the fear in their optics of those who were conscious and those they weren't I off-lined without a qualm."

Knockout did not move or speak. He was astounded beyond belief; this was more than even he had imagined to be the case. The red medic thought of the lives he had struggled to save, feeling inept when he lost a patient due to faulty equipment or his own poor skill. How he had struggled to perfect his medical skills so that he could do everything within his power to save a life.

A groan from the table had the two medics turn to look at Bumblebee. Blue optics came online and looked uncertainly around the room before resting on Knockout, who was closest to the scout. When Bumblebee tried to move the red medic was quick to move forward to stop him.

"Easy, Bumblebee, don't squish your friend." Knockout smiled when Bumblebee lifted his head enough to see the sleeping Raf on his chest plates.

[**Is he alright**?] Bumblebee asked, while cupping a servo around the small human. He hummed and warmed his chest plates so that Raf could feel his guardian's happiness at having the small human close.

"Oh, he fine," Knockout waved off, "It took a few minutes to calm him down when he found out you'd been shot and then a deal of persuading to stay out of the way until I was done operating, and then of course nothing would placate him until he was resting on you."

Bumblebee ran a finger up and down Raf's back to comfort the sleeping human. He smiled when the boy tried to burrow into him, subconsciously receiving his guardian's comfort and wanting more of it. The sound of someone else moving caused Bumblebee to look up and warble in surprise.

"It's alright," Knockout said quickly. "Ratchet's processor has been scrubbed, as have your other Autobot friends."

[**Sideswipe**?] Bumblebee asked in a low tone, dreading the answer.

"He's all right," Knockout answered. "Well, as far as being cleaned from the council's codes, but Ratchet told me the Twin is doing some major self destruction over his error in shooting you. I will not pressure you into doing this, but as soon as you feel comfortable doing it you should talk to him."

Bumblebee nodded, leaning his head back, [**Not now, but soon**.] His life had certainly been major messed-up by both Silas and the council. Briefly, Bumblebee brought up the memory file of Sideswipe shooting him and hastily shoved it away. [**I was the target, wasn't I**?] Knockout and Ratchet looked at him, [**I thought Megatron was at first, but it was me Sideswipe was shooting it, wasn't it**]

Knockout did not lie, "Yes."

Bumblebee off-lined his optics with a sigh. He knew that he really did not blame Sideswipe, but trying to get over the fact that his brother had shot him would take some doing. Recharge was a good option right now; the sleep cycle would help clear up his processor and delay the matter for the time being.

**AN: Next week's issue: The Decepticons take on MECH!**

**Decepticons: 19**

**Autobots: 9**


	32. 1st Push Against MECH

**AN: FYI, I've been having internet problems where it takes a few hits of the reload button to get a page to load fully so getting this chapter up was not easy. If these problems continue the next chapter could be delayed for awhile, just don't panic I WILL finish this story.**

**64: Now what did I do?**

**5 ways: Thanks.**

**QuantumSheep: CRITIC! Now I feel better. Megatron has admitted to having ups and downs in a past chapter. He mentions losing his temper, and he was quite angry at Orion's supposed treachery in siding with the council against him. Plus, Cybertron being reduced to a lifeless rock really has to do with the AllSpark being ejected and Optimus did that. I'm thinking about doing Outtakes for this story to kind of fill in here and there, what do you think?**

**DEVINE.L: Lol, glad you liked that part and I hope no one thought you were crazy. I'm going to be trying to throw more humor in so beware, though I think this chapter is ok.**

**Thunderweb; I think I've built a substantial case the MECH and Silas must be considered a threat and therefore taken out. Honestly, there's no way Silas is surviving this.**

**Answerthecall: Thanks.**

**TransformersBeeFan: Don't worry, MECH will pay… But Silas is not done yet.**

{_Nemesis_ – Landing Platform}

Megatron was quite sure he had been mad an hour ago. Being around Orion definitely brought out Megatron's more humorous side, and what in the AllSpark had made him open his ship up like a hotel? He should really charge Orion rent, and the humans!

_Especially the humans_, he thought as he watched the Vehicons lining up on the deck. _At least two of the humans work, if I remember correctly, they should easily be able to afford to pay for the space they'll be taking up_. Two of the Vehicons pushed each other, quietly arguing that the other was in their spot, _On the other hand, what would I do with human money_? _Hmm, there must be some way they can make themselves useful and less of an annoyance. Just thinking of all the things they require to survive makes me shudder_. _Regardless of what Orion may say or do I will _not_ become attached to the organics! I am simply providing them a safe haven so that Shockwave or MECH cannot use them; after all, no one deserves that fate_.

Thinking of MECH and Shockwave stirred up that old anger in Megatron that had driven him to many a mindless rampage. The two were obviously working together, Shockwave's base lines in the slave code taken from Bumblebee showed that but Megatron did not believe the scientist was _with_ Silas. The human had backstabbed Starscream after his former lieutenant had helped MECH, and Shockwave did not trust easily. In all likelihood, Silas was using Shockwave and vice versa, but if Megatron had to bet who would come out on top of the double-crossing he would place his money of Shockwave.

"Quit squabbling!" Megatron grabbed the two quarreling Vehicons and banged their helms together, and was surprised when he did it with less force than he usually used. _Orion is making me soft_, he thought as he turned away from the staring Vehicons. _No, not Orion_, he realized._ I started to feel my spark again before I got my friend back_. Megatron was glad the seeker squadron was ready, now the grounder Vehicons were lining up behind them. _Little scout_, he thought, _I will have to deal with this after I return._

"Soundwave, open a ground bridge to MECH's location." When the green portal opened, Megatron and the squadron of seekers transformed and flew through it. They would destroy the warehouse and any upper defense systems Silas had made, clearing the way for the grounders to go beneath the surface.

{Above the Warehouse Hiding MECH's Base}

The green swirl of light started as a small dot and expanded out rather quickly. Megatron came out first, followed by a score of seekers in a tight formation. There was no pause to take in their location or scan the area, Megatron dived and the Vehicons followed, opening fire on the warehouse below them.

A score of red and purple lasers rained down on the warehouse and blasted it to pieces. Openings in the ground around the building opened up and turrets came up. They swiveled in the direction of the seekers and opened up with a volley of blue laser fire.

"Evasive action!" Megatron ordered, banking to the right and his squadron obeyed. They split off to avoid the enemy fire but did not fly haphazardly to dodge the lasers. Instead the seekers flew in zigzag patterns with their wingmen, spinning and flipping to the side as needed to evade MECH's weapon fire.

Megatron spiraled faster than a human fighter and opened fire on a turret. A quick scan of another turret showed a weakness and he quickly relayed the information to the Vehicons, not fast enough though as he saw a seeker get hit in the wing and spin out of control to the ground. Megatron did not have time to check on the Vehicon's condition as the five remaining turrets were still rotating around on their pedestals and had yet to cease firing. The seekers dropped closer to the ground, shooting trees out of their way if necessary and approached the turrets from an angle they were unable to shoot at.

Megatron's scan of the turrets had pointed out the guns' design to shoot more at the sky than at the ground. So the turrets could not lower their barrels to fire at the seekers closer to the earth. Megatron and the Vehicons opened fire and destroyed the remaining turrets, swirling to avoid the explosions.

Transforming, Megatron landed beside the wrecked warehouse and pulled the doors apart. He blasted at anything, feeling good to finally expel some of the pent of frustration and anger he had had to keep at bay during his fights with Bumblebee and Orion. The Vehicon seekers assisted him in pulling the warehouse down and one practically crowed when he called out to Megatron after finding the elevator shaft.

"Soundwave, send down the ground units."

A ground bridge opened a few feet away and the Vehicon grounder squads came through. Row upon row of cars kept coming through, five squads in all, and the portal closed. Another six squads were being held in reserve back at the _Nemesis_, Megatron believed in not showing his full hand, especially against an opponent he had yet to meet in battle.

Megatron would have preferred to go down the elevator shaft first but five Vehicons volunteered quickly for the job. The Decepticon leader watched the grounders jump down the shaft, their servos grabbing hold of whatever was available to make their descent by short jumps. Once they had reached the bottom they signaled the all clear, and Megatron and the rest of the grounders headed down the elevator shaft.

Smashing through the doors blocking his way, Megatron came to an abrupt halt. Instantly his cannons came up to bear and he could hear the Vehicons behind him prepping their weapons as well but they would not fire until he did. He should have expected this, he should not have been surprised by what was in front of him, and it really should not have shocked him.

A row of mechs were facing Megatron and the Vehicons. Their yellow optics were lifeless, staring ahead of them without acknowledging the Decepticons' entrance. They opened fire before Megatron did, and he and the Vehicons were forced to jump to the sides to dodge the blue lasers.

"You are trespassing on MECH property," one of the unknown mechs said, "leave or be destroyed."

"Don't make me laugh," Magtron growled, raising his cannons and firing. The Vehicons followed his example and, after they had fired their own rounds, rushed the mechs. Megatron grappled with the closest mech, taking stock of the situation around him before he deemed it safe enough to scan the mech in his grasp. He was beyond relieved with what he found.

"_Destroy them_!" he ordered over his internal com. "_They are but human robotic constructions_."

Lifeless robots, that's all they were. Orion had told him of Nemesis Prime, Silas' mockery robot made to look like Orion and shame his name. These robots were the same, looking like mechs but they had not been made on Cybertron, merely constructed from materials MECH had gotten ahold of to resemble the alien visitors. They were a sham! A farce!

Megatron did not appreciate being taunted, especially by such a deranged lifeform like Silas. It was with spark-warming glee, that the Deceptocin leader, ignoring the robot's punches, grabbed hold of his opponent's head and ripped it off. He did not stop there though, as he suspected that simply taking the head off would not stop one of Silas' toys. Activating his wrist blade, Megatron quickly sliced through the robot before charging for the next one.

Two Vehicons were down, one was moving slowly back to the exit but the other was still. There were only twelve robots in the room and the Vehicons, led by Megatron, overcame them in quick order. The Decepticon leader ordered his grounders to regroup and then split off by squad to search the base. "No one goes anywhere alone."

With one squad following him, Megatron headed off down a hallway. He recognized the area as the direction Bumblebee had been taken; meaning the lab where the little scout had been tortured was along this path as well. With thoughts of revenge swirling through his processor, Megatron kept his cannons primed as he headed through the MECH base.

The hallway the Decepticons traveled down had flickering lights, casting eerie light flashes around them. Had they been a squad of human soldiers they would no doubt be gripping their rifles as tightly as possible and trying not to jump at every questionable sound. Megatron was trying not to worry, but he was. Was Silas seriously hiding behind his robots as his only means of defense? No, Megatron would not make the mistake of believing that, more than likely MECH had something else in store for intruders.

A wail echoed down the hallway and the Decepticons froze. Megatron recognized it, only because he knew of no other Cybertronian who needed to communicate by tones. _Little scout_, Megatron thought with a start. But that was impossible; Bumblebee was back on the Nemesis recovering from Sideswipe's attack. The scream and beeps, translating in his helm as frantic pleas, vibrated in his processor like a discorded symphony.

Snarling in Cybertronian, Megatron hurried forward, having just enough sense to keep an optic out for traps. He and the Vehicons covered the distance with a quick, cautious step, walking into the brightly lit room prepared to fire.

Only to stop as he saw where the sounds were emerging from. A large viewscreen on the opposite wall was showing the little scout bound to a large table, trying to twist away from a cable being lowered. Megatron flinched when at the damage Bumblebee caused himself by not keeping still and his pain filled cries tugged at the Decepticon's spark. Pulling his optics away from the screen, Megatron realized he was in the room where it had taken place. There was the table, the hideous cable hanging above it and coating both surfaces were dried patches of energon. This was where the little scout had regained consciousness after the EMP, this was where the youngling had been defiled and enslaved. The Decepticon leader had never thought he could hate a room before, he had not hated the council room after all, just the mechs in it, but this place had earned Megatron's hatred.

"Lord Megatron!" Two Vehicons slammed into his back, knocking him forward and taking his place. The cannon blasts that had been aimed at Megatron hit the two Vehicons dead center in their spark chambers. By the time their lifeless frames hit the floor their deaths had already been avenged.

The Decepticon leader rolled and got up, firing his cannons. The two humans who had stepped out of their hiding places with the shoulder cannons never got a second chance to fire. Megatron's blasts pulverized the MECH soldiers where they stood, reducing them to unidentifiable pieces. Yet Megatron did not stop there.

Without pausing, Megatron opened fire on everything around him. His cannons blew apart the view screen, the table and the computers. He ripped the cable from the ceiling and smashed it into a wall, blasting it with his cannon for good measure. The Deceptidon leader destroyed the room, leaving nothing in it recognizable.

The Vehicons hung back as they watched their leader pulverize the area. They were silent but they were not idle. While the grounders watched the exits for any more surprises those able to filmed Megatron's rampage, intending to share the video with every Vehicon on the _Nemesis_. The grounders were not dumb, they knew why their lord was destroying the room with so much vehemence. It was for this that they joined him after he had freed them from the slave code; it was for this that they put up with his moments of near insanity killing rampages. To seek retribution for a Cybertronian not even of his faction, to destroy the place where said 'bot had been tortured, this was what set Megatron apart from the council and even Orion Pax. A wrong, no matter whom it had been done to, must still be righted and the fact that the Decepticon leader took it upon himself to personally rectify it easily erased his faults in the Vehicons' processors.

Satisfied that nothing in the room could ever be used again, Megatron exited the room and the Vehicons followed behind him. Reports from the other Vehicons informed Megatron of two or three armed humans here or there and no sign of Silas. The anger cleared from his processor due to expelling it when destroying the room, Megatron was thinking clearly once again and calculating. Where was Silas? Megatron wanted nothing more than to pull the human apart one limb at a time, but considering the yucky ramifications of even that act the Decepticon would have to settle for a more distant, agonizing death. However, thinking of different ways to kill the human was not hurrying Silas into his sites.

Where was he? Was Silas that much of a coward not to come face him? Perhaps the human was more like the council than Megatron had originally thought, they to had preferred to hide behind those under their power than actually face him in combat.

Coming to another room revealed four armed humans and one in a white coat. The young man in white had a headset on and was the only one who did not turn around at the Decepticons' entrance. The four soldiers opened fire but a few laser shots sent their bodies thud to the floor. The fifth man, now realizing something was wrong, turned from where he was sitting and Megatron grabbed him. Pulling the headset off and smashing it between his fingers, the Decepticon glared down at the shaking human. He appeared to be in his late twenties and since he was not armed, Megatron pegged him for a scientist rather than a soldier.

"Where is Silas?" The Decepticon tightened his hold; just enough to tell his prisoner that he was not messing around.

"I don't know! I swear! My job was just to control the robots while he evacuated the base."

"Evacuate where?"

"I don't know! Only he knew!" Megatron squeezed tighter, "Please! Please I swear I'm telling the truth! I don't know! Everyone who was being evacuated there went to Room 28B but there's no security camera there so I couldn't see where they went! Please don't kill me! Please!"

Megatron stared down at the human in his grasp and an old memory came to his processor. Once again he was standing triumphant over a fallen opponent in the gladiator ring, the cheers of the crowd drumming in his audios, screaming for him to finish off the loser. Below him the young gladiator looked up at him with coolant leaking from his blue optics, pleading for his life. Inside he wanted to spare the youngling, but a motion from his master made him lift his sword and deliver the killing stroke.

"Please! Please!" The human continued to beg, salt water gathering in his blue eyes and threatening to spill. Megatron quickly tossed the human to the side, ignoring the hard landing and the cry of pain. He spun on his peds and was out of the room, the Vehicons following, searching for Room 28B.

When he found it, Megatron stepped in with his cannons ready to fire but there were no targets. The room was empty, the only exit being the door the Decepticon had entered through. He could see scuff marks on the floor where heavy things had been dragged but they stopped at the opposing wall from the door. Thinking it was a hidden entranceway, Megatron blasted the wall but only dirt was on the other side.

Red optics gleaming with barely controlled rage; Megatron stared at the barren room. "Where are you Silas?"

**AN: So, I'm turning my couch into a fortress to weather out any unhappy reviewers.**

**Decepticons: 19**

**Autobots: 9**


	33. Megatron's Bad Day

**Purest of Hearts: I don't know, maybe I do that for the sequel. *****clasps hands over mouth***** Opps. **

**5 ways: Had.**

**64: I can live with tormenting you, thanks.**

**Guest: Thanks for the review, and please stick around.**

**QuantumSheep: Nooooo! You totally ruined my ending! To me it made perfect sense that Silas would want to be a Cybertron since he sees them as perfect, but no, you just had to complain about it. Now I gotta scramble for something new. Hmm. What about if he was put in a mech-suit against his will? Since Shockwave is just using him and now he knows how to control humans so… What you think? But Silas won't be the boss battle, that's {Spoiler deleted}**

**Starfire201: Cowards rarely see themselves as such.**

**Answerthecall: Thanks!**

{_Nemesis_}

Megatron was not in a happy mood when he gate bridged back to his ship. Despite his melancholy temper he did oversee the wounded being sent to the medical bay and the dead properly honored. He had wanted to end this war before it could escalate, but once again he had failed.

Who knew that a human could make him feel incompetent? There had been far too many surprises down in that base, and none of them pleasant. Of course, Silas had fled, probably had started making plans to do so when Megatron had grabbed Bumblebee since that would mean the location of his base was compromised. The human had proved to be an adversary the Cybertronians could not take lightly, why then had Megatron made the mistake that MECH would just be sitting there like they had nothing to worry about?

Megatron vented his systems, anger in his core welling up and wanting to lash out at himself. However, bashing one's helm off a wall was considered bad conduct of a superior officer and certainly not something the ship's crew should see. If he still had the urge to bang against something by the time he went to his room to recharge then he would clobber himself then. Knockout especially would be unnerved by the sight.

"Lord Megatron!" _Speak of the rust-bucket_, Megatron growled mentally as the elevator before him opened to reveal Knockout.

"Knockout, should you not be attending to the injured?" Megatron pulled himself together, burying his anger deep; the failed annihilation of MECH had shaken him more than he had thought. Best not to let Knockout know that his leader was being sorely tempted to inflict personal frame damage. _That_ would surely make the medic shut him down for a long recharge, at the worst.

"I left Ratchet and two Vehicons attending to it, I wanted to check on you, my lord."

"Well, now that you've checked on me you should go back to the medical bay."

"Just let me do a check-up of your inner systems, my lord, and I'll be out of your processor." Megatron briefly considered pummeling Knockout into the floor, it was definitely a tempting thought.

Checking the vicinity and finding it clear, Megatron lowered his frame. Knockout was quick to insert a cable into his medical port, run a system check and then disconnect. The unpleasant business over with, Megatron straightened and looked down at the medic.

"All systems normal, Lord Megatron, some dents but your own repair systems will heal those. I'll deliver my report on the injured within a half hour."

"See that you do," Megatron turned to go but then paused. "Knockout, do you have an empty pad available?" His medic was certainly curious about what he wanted, but nevertheless handed over the desired item. Megatron tapped away, detailing his plan and then gave it back to Knockout, "Let me know when you can implement this."

Knockout stared at the pad, "Of course, Lord Megatron."

Megatron entered the elevator and was taken up to the bridge. When he walked onto the command center of the _Nemesis_ it was to see Orion in deep discussion with Soundwave, and by deep he meant that his communications officer was linked to Orion's processor telepathically. He hoped their news was better than what he had to report; anything to salvage this day would be appreciated.

Dreadwing was the only officer who acknowledged Megatron's entrance. The Decepticon leader noticed his SIC give him a cursory glance, no doubt making sure he was not dodging Knockout for any needed repairs. Only Knockout, however, could get away with actually inquiring about his health and even that was pushing it. Megatron detested receiving medical help, as a gladiator it was a sign of proving one's durability in enduring an injury for as long as possible, even longer. That undesired part of his gladiator coding had been impossible to delete being as it was woven into his personality.

"How long have they been talking like this?" Megatron enquired, indicating Orion and Soundwave.

"Half an hour," Dreadwing answered, his optics straying back to Megatron and full of questions. He was not the only one who was wondering what had happened in the MECH base, only knowing that nothing good, since Megatron was not crowing with victory. Something had gone dreadfully wrong.

Megatron stepped forward, watching Soundwave communicate with Orion and felt his anger dissipating. He was not angry that his communications officer had let Orion know that he was telepathic, getting angry would only be a sign that he did not trust his friend and that was not true. Rather, Megatron was relieved that Soundwave had shown Orion, secrets were always harder to keep when those not in the know were staying in such close quarters.

The two finally broke apart and turned to him. "Silas ground bridged out of the base with most of the MECH forces before I could reach him," Megatron said, going for bluntness rather then drawing out an interrogation.

"Ground bridged?" Orion asked.

"Yes, there was no other exit from the base save for the way we went in. Obviously, Shockwave was not done with his human associates, otherwise he would have left them to their fate." Megatron looked at Soundwave, "Our priority now is to find Shockwave, taking him out will greatly cripple Silas and hinder his movements without an available ground bridge, as I doubt Shockwave is stupid enough to give MECH such a piece of engineering." Megatron watched the two share a look, "What is it?"

"We both agree that another mech is under the slave code and most likely working for Shockwave instead of MECH this time."

"Who?" Megatron all but roared, could they not get ahead of these cretins?

"Starscream."

That brought Megatron up short, "And what evidence led you to this conclusion?" It was then that Megatron noticed the healing dents and scratched painting in Orion's frame. "You left the ship?"

Orion dipped his helm in acknowledgement, "I did." Then he quickly added, "I did not go alone."

"I don't care if you had the whole armada on your exhaust pipe!" Megatron shouted. "You were not cleared for combat! There is no way, with two medics on board, that any kind of this irresponsibility could have—"

"The medics were not informed of the mission."

Megatron drew himself up, "Of course they weren't, and that's why your injuries show no sign of treatment… Are those gauge marks?" Megatron indicated the three long stripes down Orion's side, the wiring underneath was exposed but luckily there was no sign of broken energon lines. "Report yourself to the medical bay now!"

"You are hardly in pristine condition yourself," Orion pointed out, trying to maneuver out of Megatron's hold as the leader propelled him to the door.

"I, unlike you my friend, had the forethought to have a medic meet me halfway. Now, the Vehicons need to see examples such as ourselves going to the medical bay as they can be very squeamish seeing a medic, so go see Ratchet or Knockout. I recommend my medic, as he is less likely to hit you with a wrench before treating you. Off you go."

Once Orion was pushed out of the bridge door, Megatron wheeled on Soundwave. "First, you are going to show me what happened while I was away and then we are going to have a long discussion about allowing non-combat approved mechs out on missions and then not sending them to the medical bay when they obviously need to go!"

Soundwave looked pointedly at Megatron's dents, "Knockout already cleared me, check the security tapes if you don't believe me. Now show me what happened!"

The TIC turned and ran one of his data cables to the view screen and plugged it in.

**AN: So they know about Starscream, but how? Stay tuned to find out.**

**Decepticons: 19**

**Autobots: 9**


	34. Orion Investigates

**Starfire201: He knows, he just doesn't care.**

**MissCHSparkles: answers to questions here.**

**Purest of Hearts: Nope, not Ravage.**

**QuantumSheep: Hmm, a challenge, I will definitely think about that**

**DEVINE.L: Lol**

**Thunderweb: Here you go.**

{_Nemesis_ – What happened while Megatron was gone}

Orion watched the grounders go through the ground bridge, on another screen he could see the Vehicon seekers and Megatron standing amongst the ruined warehouse. From what he had seen there had been no human casualties in the above ground battle, but Orion was sure that would change once the Decepticons went below the surface.

_And what do I think about that_? Orion asked himself. Humans were as much of a familiar race to him as they were unfamiliar, his memories of them were like a movie where he saw what happened but was removed from it. He knew Jack, Miko and Raf quite well, and yet they were strangers to him, conversation between them was awkward. Oddly, Orion felt more comfortable around the Decepticons than he did with the other Autobots or their human wards. The bridge crew were at ease around him, perhaps because they had seen how Megatron had accepted him so readily.

"Orion," Dreadwing called to him, "Soundwave has something to report."

Orion moved over to Soundwave's area and watched the view screen that showed a location on Earth. "What is the situation?"

Soundwave brought up the picture of Mr. Esquivel, it was labeled missing. Then he brought up more pictures, each man was labeled missing but from different parts of the world. A blurry picture came up, an object in the sky, Soundwave enhanced it and Orion saw it was an airplane, but like none of the human designs he knew of. Soundwave brought up similar pictures of the same fighter and linked them with the locations of the missing people.

"You believe this fighter is a seeker and responsible for the kidnappings of these men?" Orion asked, his processor whirling at the possibilities. "I realize that Mr. Esquivel's disappearance was to gain our attention but I do not recognize any of the other men who are missing."

Soundwave looked at Dreadwing, who shrugged unhelpfully. Sighing through his vent systems, the communications officer reached out for Orion, looking again at the SIC to explain. Dreadwing was not a fan of revealing all their secrets so quickly, even if Megatron had vouched for Orion's trustworthiness, the grounder had turned on them before.

"Soundwave would like to speak with you." Having done what Soundwave had requested him to, Dreadwing turned and walked away. He did not see why the information could not wait until his father had returned to the _Nemesis_, but if the two wanted to play detectives then so be it.

Orion stood frozen as Soundwave extended a finger from each servo to his helm. _From what little I have obtained on the seeker, his alt mode is modified from several different human fighter planes, at this time his identity is unknown_. _I concur that Raf's father was taken only to gain our attention, at this point Shockwave believes himself invincible and will taunt us with the knowledge that he can hurt the loved ones under our protection without us able to stop him. It is quite possible that Shockwave will reveal false clues of his plan, each time making us believe we are getting closer only to realize we have been tricked in the end_.

"How do you know Shockwave so well?" Orion asked, fighting the suspicion that threatened to mount in his processor.

_I was not always like this, Orion Pax, Prime of the Cybertronians_, Soundwave answered. _Once I was like you, but Shockwave took that all away from me. For several years I was his slave, debased and degraded at his whim. I know him better than anyone. Shockwave may have fooled himself into believing that he is an emotionless, completely ruled by logic mech, but that is not true. He does feel emotion, a dark pleasure in seeing others helpless; he craves to have others under his power_.

An alert caught Soundwave's attention and he broke away from Orion. The strange seeker had been spotted in the mountains of Germany. "You must send me there." Soundwave looked at Orion, "Whatever Shockwave is planning he needs the humans, if we can stop him from taking one _and_ take out his seeker it may slow down his plans."

Soundwave did not need any further encouragement. A portal opened on the bridge and Orion ran towards it, transforming into his alt mode before he entered the ground bridge. He did not hear the Cybertronian cursing that followed in his wake.

_Leave them alone for five minutes and they're trying to be heroes_! Dreadwing had been wholly unprepared at the sight of Orion leaving, but he was quick to snap into action, as he was not Megatron's second-in-command for nothing. "You five," he pointed at the Vehicons, "go after him!"

The Vehicons, two seekers and three grounders, quickly obeyed. They just made it through the ground bridge before it closed. Dreadwing turned on Soundwave, "What are you doing? Megatron's orders were explicit!"

Soundwave turned and gave his attention to the view screen, his data cables and servos working quickly to multi-task his attention between Megatron's attack on MECH's base and Orion's impromptu mission. Dreadwing scowled and turned away, "If heads roll because of this I will not be losing mine!"

{Germany}

The lone hiker paused in his ascent, smiling at his peaceful surroundings. Hans Klauß had been hiking this particularly mountain since he was a child, as it had been his grandfather's favorite, so in memory of the old man Hans continued to hike it once a year. His trip had become a tradition for the town and was always mentioned in the newspaper, and had even earned a spot on a website.

Just as Hans reached the summit his quiet trip was interrupted. The roar of engines made him look up in surprise and when he saw the fighter plane descending on his location he did not hesitate. Hans turned and slid his way off the summit, seeking the cover of the trees. Looking back, the German hiker was completely unprepared for what he saw.

"Was ist das?" The fighter plane was gone, in its place stood a tall, metal robot with burning red eyes. The robot was looking at him, and even though it had the equivalent of a face there was no facial expression as it regarded him. With thundering footsteps the robot approached him, but Hans was not about to stick around and see what it wanted.

Going down a mountain was always harder than going up. Your body had to fight the inclination to go faster, as gravity tried to claim you. Thankfully for Hans, he knew the mountain like the back of his hand and so he knew where its' treacherous points were. All his knowledge would have worked in his favor had he been pursued by something less tall and durable.

The plane-that-was-a-robot used its sharp claws to slice the trees down while it pursued its quarry. Hans managed to duck the hand that tried to grab him when he lost his footing and fell, tumbling head over heels until he rammed into a tree. Winded and gasping for breath, Hans looked up at the robot that loomed overhead. Unable to move, Hans could do nothing but watch a robotic hand descend to grab him.

The blue bolt that slammed into the robot was as much a surprise to it as it was to Hans. Both turned to see another, even taller robot coming through the trees. Hans was sure that now would be a good time to faint in a manly style, in fact he did just that when five more appeared behind the very tall robot.

Orion watched the seeker stumble back from his attack and hurried forward to press the advantage. "Get the human out of here," he ordered, letting the Vehicons decide which one would carry out the order. This proved to be a mistake, as the Vehicons argued amongst themselves for a full ten minutes on who was going to pick up the human and why they should obey Orion's order anyway.

Meanwhile, Orion had reached the seeker and blocked him from seeing the human. The seeker, now having his equilibrium back, straightened to face Orion. Recognition flooded Orion's processor, a name coming to him from Optimus' memories.

"Starscream?" From what he knew of the seeker he never would have thought to see him working for Shockwave.

Starscream leapt forward, slashing at Orion with longer and sharper claws than he remembered the seeker having. Orion employed his combat systems to respond to Starscream's attack, something he had not done since the battle at the Grand Canyon. He was a little slow at first, taking quite a few hits while he familiarized himself with systems he had never used.

It was the screech of metal that snapped the Vehicons' out of their argument. Orion punched Starscream repeatedly until the seeker retreated, and then he looked down to inspect the gauge marks through his plating. Orion had just enough time to thank Primus that no energon was leaking when Starscream renewed his attack. The seeker was faster, too, then he remembered, and they traded a few blows back and forth.

It was the silence that alerted Orion to something being wrong. The forest around them exploded into fire from the lasers and missiles being shot about, two combatants hurled punches at each other that dented their armor and knocked them about, but through it all Starscream did not say a word. That was wrong. From Orion's files on the seeker, Starscream was never quiet, even during a battle he was always talking.

"Starscream!" Orion grabbed for the seeker, catching a wing but was shocked when it elicited no response. A seeker's wings were the most sensitive part of their frame, any kind of grip could cause pain and most grounders used this tidbit to bring a seeker to his knees, yet Starscream made no sound.

Twisting around Orion, never even flinching as his wing was slightly crushed, Starscream tore himself out of Prime's grip. Kicking out at the Autobot leader, the seeker dove for the unconscious human and nearly had him before one of the Vehicons stepped in. A harsh slam into Starscream's helm caused the seeker to fall to the earth, but he quickly rolled away to escape the laser fire from the other Vehicons.

Orion ran forward just as Starscream and grabbed him, giving his frame a good shake while he noticed one Vehicon finally picked up the human. "Starscream, why are you working for Shockwave? What is he planning?"

If Orion expected Starscream to answer he was doomed for disappointment. The seeker, seemingly not sparing a thought to personal injury, clawed and tore his way out of Orion's hold. Back flipping away from Prime and the Vehicons, Starscream raised an arm and fired a missile just as a ground bridge opened up behind him.

The one Autobot and five Decepticons jumped out of the way of the missile and it exploded behind them. The forest fire the battle had started was now raging all around them, but Orion only had optics for the closing ground bridge, wondering at Starscream's silence and his uncharacteristic disregard of his injuries. The stirring of the human clutched in a grounder Vehicon's grip brought Orion out of his thoughts.

"Soundwave," said Orion, activating his com, "is there a way to put this fire out before it consumes the mountain?"

The communications officer's answer was multiple portals opening above the mountain. Heavy rain gushed out of the ground bridges and continued to assault the fire until all the flames had been put out. Another ground bridge opened up near Orion, and he and the Vehicons quickly walked into it.

{_Nemesis_ – Bridge}

Orion allowed Soundwave to link with his processor again, knowing it was a far better way to communicate than through sounds and pictures. He had been wrong, and Orion was strong enough to admit that rushing off without a plan was not the smartest thing to do. He knew that he had not completely accepted Optimus as a part of himself, he still felt younger than he should, inexperienced and yes, he had wanted to prove, as much to himself as to others, that he could fight.

No doubt Megatron would be unbearably smug about being right. His friend had never failed to point out when Orion had committed a classic blunder in judgment; it just proved that a learned education fell flat when held up next to a hands-on experience.

_Starscream is never quiet_, Soundwave said, cutting though Orion's self-doubts. _And he was quite smitten with his looks, he would never modify his frame and lose his 'stunning' image simply for the sake of being heavier armored and armed. Your thoughts_?

_Shockwave has downloaded the slave code into him_, Orion thought back. _Since Shockwave is a grounder he is using Starscream for tasks that must be carried out quickly, such as snatching humans and making a quick escape through a ground bridge. _

_ I am always on alert for ground bridge activity_, Soundwave replied, no matter what else I am doing I always keep an alert out for portals. _Since I have not found any sign of ground bridge activity save for our own, Shockwave must have the means to not only shield his ground bridge device, but also cloaked the signature as well. When I was liberated from Shockwave he had only been working on a cloaking device for a few years, it was no where near perfect though he went ahead and downloaded it into one of his slaves to serve as a guinea pig. Obviously he has perfected it since then and applied it to more than just to be used by mechs_.

_Megatron is here_. Soundwave did not ask how Orion knew without turning his head, instead he deactivated his link-up and looked at his leader. Megatron's frame sported quite a few dents and scrapes, almost as many as Orion's did, and Soundwave realized that maybe he should have suggested the medical bay to Orion before they both got caught up with their theorizing.

"Silas ground bridged out of the base with most of the MECH forces before I could reach him," Megatron said without preamble.

_Well_, thought Soundwave, _this day certainly saw nothing get done._

{_Nemesis_ – Bridge – Present Time}

Megatron was impressed, doubly so. Orion had proved to be as much of an asset and a liability in less than five hours, now that had to be a record. Then there was Starscream; this one was a harder pill for the Decepticon leader to swallow, all joking aside. Banishment just was not the punishment it used to be, it seemed. Would it have been better to lock up his former SIC and throw away the key than have him fall into Shockwave's clutches?

That gnawing sense of failure threatened Megatron's processor once again. Instead of the little scout being the only victim, now there was a Decepticon as well. He had moved too slow, focused on the wrong enemy, yet what could he have done differently? Nothing, and that was what bothered Megatron.

Just what kind of leader was he that he could not protect the ones under him? Starscream may not have been officially considered a member of the Nemesis crew any more, but Megatron had had Soundwave keeping tabs on the backstabbing seeker for the purpose on letting Starscream stew a little bit before offering him a place once again. That was what mainly fueled Starscream anyway, wanting a place where he could be accepted. It was only those times when the seeker thought he should be clever and backstab a few mechs to prove his resourcefulness that he ran into problems with Megatron.

"No more, Soundwave, I will not let another fall into Shockwave's grasp."

His communications officer waited until Megatron had collected himself before showing him his second bit of news. On the view screen appeared the tracking monitor for a ship, at least a day away from Earth and the two signatures of the two mechs who were on board. Megatron groaned when he saw who it was.

"Just what we need at this moment, a revenge-seeking wrecker and a greenhorn adolescent, perfect." Megatron turned, intent of finding Orion and asking his opinion on how to handle the situation before he paused. "Soundwave, I realize why you allowed Orion to leave, but, as you clearly saw, there is a reason he was not cleared for combat."

**AN: So, what kind of a reception do you think Wheeljack and Smokescreen will get? Sorry for the lateness of this chapter and if it's not up to par with my other ones, had a family emergency earlier this week that was just very stressful and made a lot of us lose sleep. **

**Decepticons: 19 **

**Autobots: 9**


	35. Megatron's Gift, Family Reconciliation

**AN: Only 4 reviews last chapter, am I losing people? Also, I did not forget about Bumblebee, he just needed time to recover from his wound and think about how he was going to talk to Sideswipe.**

**Thunderweb: Don't worry, coming up.**

**QuantumSheep: Wheeljack and Smokescreen were never going to be really big characters, but I need Smokescreen for a reason so I had to bring them back. **

**Chapter Summary: A Gift Given, a Family Reconciled, and a Punishment Received. **

{_Nemesis_ – Medical Bay}

Bumblebee had had more than enough time to heal from his injury, yet he had still not left the med bay. Knockout had not kicked him out, and Ratchet, in deference to Knockout's authority as CMO on the ship, did not say anything about Bumblebee's reluctance to leave either. The scout was more than grateful for the medics allowing him to stay, and that they spent their time cleaning the already spic and span area and tools instead of trying to draw him into conversation.

Bumblebee had a lot to work through his processor and he needed to be undisturbed to do it. Thankfully, Raf understood what he needed and was content to just stay in his servo, being a soundboard once Bumblebee was ready to voice his thoughts. So there Bumblebee sat, thoughts whirling about in his processor, the chief among them being about Megatron.

He was aware that Megatron was leading the Decepticons against MECH at the moment but his feelings were divided over this. On one hand he wanted to be with the Decepticons, getting some of his own back that MECH had taken away from him, but on the other hand he wanted to be as far away from the rogue outfit as possible. Just the thought of seeing Silas again sent shivers down his frame, as much as he wanted to make the human pay Bumblebee knew that if he went through the rest of his life not seeing Silas he would be one happy mech.

[**When did I become such a coward**?] Raf looked up at him, one eyebrow raised in query at his remark. [**I'm afraid to face him, Raf. I want to make Silas pay for what he did, but I'm afraid that if I went anywhere near him he would capture me again. Raf, my processor would crash if the slave code were put into me again**.]

The two were sitting on a medical berth near the back of the medical bay, to keep their conversation mostly private. "I don't think you'll have to worry about that, Bee. Megatron is probably tearing apart the base right now, Silas won't stand a chance."

Bumblebee shook his head, [**No, Raf, it won't be that easy**.] He shuddered, [**Silas is evil, he's like an infestation, he won't be easily gotten rid of. He'll have a back-up plan, he'll escape, I'm sure of it**.]

Raf turned away, his thoughts turning to his conversations with his parents, looking for some kind of advice that would help Bumblebee. "Bee, can I tell you something?"

Bumblebee looked down, his optics blinking, [**Of course, Raf, you always can**.]

"Well, this is something I've wanted to tell you for awhile now, but I was afraid."

[**Afraid? Why**?]

"Because you're so cool, and big, and strong. I didn't want to tell you because I was afraid you would think I was weak, and wouldn't want to be my guardian anymore."

Bumblebee lifted Raf closer to his face, [**I would never think that, Raf, I swear. Please tell me what's bothering you.]**

Raf fiddled with his yell t-shirt, "I'm being bullied at school."

[**What**?]

"There's this kid, well actually a few of them, I won't mention names, but they've been picking on me for awhile now."

[**Why? You've got to be the coolest kid at that school**!]

Raf smiled, "Thanks Bee, but not everyone thinks like you do. To the kids that bully me, I'm a computer nerd and an illegal immigrant."

[**But you're a citizen, your whole family is**.]

"I've tried to tell them that, Bee. I've tried to tell them that my grandparents came over from Spain and that we've never even been to Mexico, but they won't listen. Most of it is just teasing or messing with my locker and books, but there's one kid who has been really mean. He doesn't dare pick on my older brothers or sisters because they're all taller or really into sports. Two months ago he dunked my head in the toilet," Raf shuddered. "It was the worst and most disgusting thing that he's done to me. After it happened I wanted to just go home and never go back, I know he filmed it and threatened to distribute it all over school if I tried to report him."

[**What did you do**? **Was this the day you were really down and just wanted to go home without stopping by the base first**?]

"Yeah, that was what happened. I was so ashamed I couldn't talk to you, Bee. When I got home I tried to just go to my room but my mom has a radar for stuff like this. When I told my parents what happened my mom was all for pulling me out and homeschooling me, next to taking her wooden spoon and tracking that kid for 'a much needed spanking'. My dad didn't want to pull me out as he said 'there's a time to run and a time to stand'. He's been teaching me self-defense so that the next the kid grabs me I can give him a 'good punch in the nose', I kinda agree with my dad when he said that detention would be worth giving that bully a taste of his own medicine." Raf sighed, "I guess what I'm trying to say, Bee, is that Silas is just a bully and he'll keep picking on you until you stand up to him. Even if you never face him again you'll still be haunted by what he did to you. I still have nightmares about being pushed in that toilet, only in my dreams he never let's me up for air. Things will be different this time around, Bee, you won't be alone with Silas, Megatron would certainly never let that happen."

[**What do you mean**?]

"Are you kidding, Bee?" Raf smiled. "Megatron has gone all 'protective dad' on you, it's kinda hard to miss."

Bumblebee did not deny it, he was just glad that someone else was voicing what he had been thinking. The way Megatron had used him to support his tottering frame, how quickly Bumblebee had pushed the Decepticon out of the way when he thought Sideswipe was attacking him, there was definitely a bond forming between them. [**What should I do**?]

The two friends continued to talk quietly while life bustled about around them. They were still there when the casualties started coming in and Bumblebee got conscripted to lend a servo in treating the wounded while Knockout disappeared for a few minutes. When he returned he was all business, walking up and down among those who were injured and firing off orders.

"Don't even think about getting out of that berth until I clear you. Who did this patch job? How did you get dented like that? That line doesn't go there!" And on it went. Ratchet was servo deep in surgery so he tuned out Knockout's hovering and fussing, the Vehicons took to the Decepticon's fretting like a duck to water, Bumblebee almost expected them to start purring any second.

When Optimus Prime, (_Orion_! Bumblebee mentally snapped at himself), quietly entered the medical bay the scout knew something was up. The Autobot leader looked doubly relived that Ratchet was busy and so asked for Knockout's assistance, something the Decepticon medic was only too happy to give. Bumblebee tried to be subtle in noting Prime's injuries, but the gauge marks made him almost choke on his air intake. People may think that claw marks were indistinctive from one to the other but that was not the case, and Bumblebee had seen that particular pattern too many times not to recognize it on sight by now. But where had his former leader run into Starscream?

By the time Megatron showed up, Bumblebee was sure he was ready for anything. However, he was wrong. After the Decepticon leader spoke to Orion, more like chided over him gloatingly, he consulted with Knockout before approaching Bumblebee.

Raf smiled knowingly at Bumblebee before scampering off to go pester the Vehicons. It had become his new hobby, asking the drones questions and watching them scramble to understand and form an answer. Bumblebee had a suspicion that Raf was collecting quite a few ideas from his interaction with the Vehicons and would not be surprised to see the boy talking to Soundwave later.

Bumblebee nearly laughed as Megatron practically tiptoed around Raf so that his heavier footsteps would not unsettle the human. It was definitely a scene the scout had never thought he would see, but then so many of those had happened over the course of the week that really he should not be surprised any more.

"Little scout," Megatron said, his red optics looking down at Bumblebee with a softness that the smaller mech did not notice, as he was too busy wondering why the Decepticon looked like he was anxious about something. Megatron anxious? The universe was spinning again for sure. "If you are amenable I would like to fix a wrong between us."

Bumblebee accepted the pad Megatron handed him and almost dropped it after he had read its contents. Now the universe had somersaulted, maybe he had even crossed into an alternate dimension because there was certainly no coding to be blamed for this.

[**Are you sure**?] Bumblebee asked, too shocked to think that maybe questioning a mech as powerful as Megatron was, was probably not a good idea.

Luckily Megatron did not take offense at his word being doubted. "I have consulted Knockout on the subject and he has confirmed that the operation can be done, even at this moment if you wish. The parts are available and Knockout has no doubts that they will be compatible to your model." Megatron hesitated before asking, "Do you wish to have the operation?"

_What kind of question is that_? Bumblebee thought, and then he looked up at Megatron. [**Why would you offer me this**?]

Megatron briefly looked away before focusing on Bumblebee's blue optics. "I wanted to offer it as an apology for robbing you of your voice. There were many things I did during the war that did not justify the means, my temper, so easily lost, did not help matters and neither did Orion's spurious betrayal. I cannot erase my crimes, but I can make amends for them, beginning with you. However, I am not only offering this as means of reparation between you and I, but because I want to genuinely help you heal, not simply because it is the right thing to do. You, little scout, have been the tip of the sword, your capture, while a traumatizing experience for you, has worked what neither side was able to do since our war began." Megatron leaned forward, aware that Bumblebee was hanging on his every word. "Peace. The war is over, little scout, all that remains is reaching out to those Autobots and Decepticons who are scattered about the universe, but that will have to wait until we stop MECH and Shockwave. The important thing is, is that peace looms on the horizon and I want you to remember that. Don't view yourself as weak for getting captured by MECH, do not be ashamed of what was done to you, because let me tell you, little scout, that a lesser mech would not have survived the tribulation you went through and you are stronger for coming through it with your processor intact." Megatron fell silent, allowing his words to sink into Bumblebee before asking his question again, "Do you wish to go through with the operation?"

Bumblebee was sure that he was not a hundred percent done with his nightmares after Megatron's speech, but he was on his way to recovery, he was sure of it. [**Yes**.]

Knockout was beyond ecstatic to do the operation, and not purely to restore Bumblebee's voice. The prestige of successfully doing such a surgical procedure that had never been attempted before and certainly would never have been sanctioned by the council was too enticing to pass up. Ratchet, for his part, very gruffly offered his assistance, which Knockout and Bumblebee accepted.

The procedure took two hours, and it was the longest two-hour waiting Megatron had ever endured. He spent the time planning with Orion on which was best way to receive Wheeljack and Smokescreen: Autobot reception or Decepticon ambush? Sadly it did not take long for the two friends to reach an agreement on how to handle the situation and Megatron was left with nothing to occupy his processor.

_I will not pace the floor. I will not pace the floor_, Megatron argued with himself. _It is undignified for a Cybertronian of my standing and rank to be seen pacing the floor like an impatient, antsy rookie_!

Megatron did not pace, a fact he was proud of. Instead he turned his processor to Starscream, and thinking of how they could possibly rescue the seeker with so little to go on. At least with MECH there had been a pattern to work off of, with a ground bridge Shockwave could be operating from anywhere and strike any continent at any time.

"Excuse me, sir?" Megatron looked down and frowned when he saw Bumblebee's ward near him.

"Yes?" he tried not to growl out the question but he was sure his stance did not invite conversation.

"Where is Bumblebee?" The human was going to seriously strain his neck if he continued looking up at that angle. Against his better judgment, Megatron crouched and lowered his servo to the floor. The human, Raf, regarded the hand for a moment before pulling himself onto it. Megatron waited until the boy was settled in his palm before straightening up.

"Your guardian is currently in the surgery room—"

"Why? What happened? Is he okay?" Raf ducked his head at Megatron's glare, "Sorry."

"I will overlook your bad manners this once as I know you are only concerned about his welfare, however I usually do not take kindly to being interrupted, understood?"

"Yes, sir." Megatron was glad that the boy looked properly chastened.

"Very good. Now, I can answer all of your questions—" But once again Megatron was interrupted, this time by the medical bay door opening.

Both Raf and Megatron stared at the mech who stepped out. His paint job was black with yellow stripes and the sigil of a bumblebee adorned his shoulder plates. Knockout and Ratchet were behind him, both grinning triumphantly.

"Bee?" Raf asked.

"Hey Raf," Bumblebee said. "Want to go see the Twins?"

{_Nemesis_ – Autobot Storage Room}

"This is ridiculous!" Arcee said, getting up and startling the others. "I refuse to just sit around and mope while the Decepticons—"

The doors opened and everyone turned to see who was visiting. The Twins suddenly became nervous when they recognized Bumblebee, new paintjob not withstanding, with Raf perched on his shoulder. The other Autobots looked uncertainly between them before taking hesitant steps toward the door, prompted by Ratchet's beckoning servo, although Blurr had to be pulled along.

Sideswipe stepped forward, "Bumblebee, I am so—"

"Stop," Bumblebee said, shocking the Twins. "It wasn't your fault."

"You can talk?" Sideswipe asked, only get thumped on the head by Sunstreaker.

"He could always talk, you dimwit!"

"I know that, what I meant was—"

Bumblebee laughed, silencing the Twins, and stepped forward so he could rest a servo on their shoulders. "I missed you guys so much. I can't thank you enough for looking after Raf, and welcoming him into our family. Sure, it was scary getting shot, Sides, but I know it wasn't you who did it. Believe me, if anyone can understand what it's like to be made to do something you don't want to do, it's me. Be lucky that all you had to do was shoot me, no one I attacked it still standing."

"Hey!" Sunstreaker said. "Belay that. If Sides can't feel guilty about shooting you, then you can't feel guilty about what MECH made you do, deal?"

Bumblebee smiled, "Deal."

The brothers sat down to share energon and catch up with one another. Bumblebee plied the Twins for the adventures they must have had while traveling the stars, while Sunny and Sides were interested in Bee's newly required voice and all that had happened to him since coming on board the _Nemsis_. For his part, Raf sat in Bumblebee's hand and smiled, feeling safe with the three mechs guarding him. Hopefully, now that things were getting resolved all over the place, he would be able to go home to his own family soon.

{Shockwave's Lair}

Huddled in a corner of his cell, Starscream wished that Optimus Prime had snuffed his spark out. The human slaves, under Shockwave's direction, had crawled all over the seeker and fixed his energon lines, burning their flesh without so much as a scream as they did so. With Starscream no longer losing energon, Shockwave had ordered him to his cell to wait for punishment, no other treatment had been offered and the seeker's wings were a torn mess of metal.

When the cell door opened, Starscream looked up only to shrink back when he saw Shockwave and another mech. The other mech had yellow optics and was roughly the size of Megatron but bulkier like a grounder. Starscream was sure he had never seen him before, and that fact scared him for he did not know what to expect from the unknown mech.

"Starscream," Shockwave said, "you will obey his every command to you for the duration of two hours. You are also permitted to scream as loud as you wish."

The seeker trembled as the unknown mech stepped into his cell, leering down at him. "Get up, little toy." Starscream obeyed, his legs barely able to support his shaking frame. The seeker whimpered as a wing was tugged, the pain doubling from what it had been before. "Shockwave was right," a chuckle burned Starscream's audios, "these wings are highly sensitive." Now the fingers ran up his wing, as if trying to comfort except that the malicious smile on the other mech belied the gesture. Fingers lightly curved around his helm, making him look up at his tormentor. "We're going to have a fun time, you and I, aren't we?"

Before Starscream could respond a wing was savagely twisted, making the seeker scream and collapse. "Look what I've done," the mech chortled. "With one move I have brought the mighty Starscream to his knees before me. Shall we make some more music, you and I?"

The cells were not soundproofed and so Starscream's howls of pain echoed down the cellblock. Physically the humans, in their own cells, were not disturbed by the shrieks but mentally was a different story. Shockwave might have had control of their bodies, but he had found the brain too chaotic to mess with and so, like Bumblebee, they could see and hear everything around them.

Roberto Esquivel heard the screams and shuddered within his mind. He turned his thoughts to his family and did the only thing he could so, he prayed. Imploring that his family be kept safe, that his youngest son was not one of the many humans he had seen in this place, although he had taken comfort from the fact that they had all seemed to be adults.

**AN: Wow, this is the longest chapter I've written so far, 7 pages and look at how much I covered. You guys happy?**

**Decepticons: 19**

**Autobots: 9**


	36. Miko's Spotlight

**64: Sorry for the wait, but hey you reviewed twice, cool! Hope you're happy with this chapter.**

**Breshcandra: Welcome and thanks for the review!**

**Purest of Hearts: That might work, but you do realize that somebody ahs got to die in this fic, right? Not just the bad guys.**

**Miss Anonymous: Welcome and thanks for the review. You're spot on, just read and see.**

**MissCHSparkles: I know I won't get the same number of reviews each chapter, though after getting 20 for one chapter that would be nice, I just hadn't gotten 4 lonely reviews in awhile. Guess I got spoiled with how quickly people reviewed. The mech torturing Starscream is not in TFP.**

**FallenNietehre: He's torturing Starscream, why? Because that's what he loves doing. As for who he is, just wait and you'll see.**

**Stitchar: There you are, ol' buddy! More Autobot/Decepticon interaction? Okay, coming right up.**

**DEVINE.L: Lol.**

**QuantumSheep: So I saw you reviewed and was like, "Uh-oh, what's it gonna be now?" But I was happily shocked, such a positive review! From you! No nitpicking whatsoever! I was like, "YES! I did it!" Now I just have to keep up the good work, right?**

**Autumnfloweres: Thank you!**

**Thunderweb: That is the question, isn't it?"**

**Answerthecall: Thanks.**

**Starfire201: You forgot? How could you? Perhaps I should send Dreadwing your way to remind you, ja? And don't worry, their ending will be painful.**

{Autobot Base}

Orion and Ratchet watched Wheeljack's descending ship with mixed emotions. Orion was confidant that the plan would be pulled off smoothly, and that they would not have to rely on Dreadwing's squadron to contain the newly arriving Autobots. Ratchet was less certain, simply because he knew that Wheeljack's suspicious nature would be harder to cajole than Smokescreen's more trusting manner. Yet, he, too, hoped that Dreadwing's waiting squadron would not be needed, for surely when Wheeljack saw his nemesis he would become quite volatile.

"Open the base doors," Orion ordered and Ratchet obeyed. Originally, Bulkhead was going to be present but he had backed out, not pleased with deceiving his friend and also knowing that Wheeljack would see through the plan right away if the big green mech were there. Bulkhead could not lie to save his life, Wheeljack knew his friend too well not to be able to pick up the telltale signs of when Bulkhead was nervous. Blurr was also absent, since he had the unfortunate ability to blurt out secrets to just about anybody, making him the last person to be informed about anything.

However, the base could not be deserted, that would make Wheeljack even more suspicious. Arcee was standing off to the side with Jack, having a much-needed conversation about college. Jack was determined to get out of Nevada, but Arcee wanted him to stick stateside so as to make her job easier. Nothing doing, of course. Arcee was not a hundred percent sold on the plan either, but she was too grateful for the chance to get off the _Nemesis_ that she wisely kept her opinions to herself, for once. The Twins were blowing things apart in the training room, happily providing some noise to the otherwise silent base.

Wheeljack and Smokescreen entered the base, looking much as they had before they had left five months ago. Arcee greeted them before turning her attention back to Jack, asking him to think about the energon usage for the groundbridge, which would be less if Jack stayed in Nevada. "Where's Bulkhead?" Wheeljack asked, not surprising anyone that that was his first inquiry.

"Bulkhead and Bumblebee are out with their charges," Orion said, being somewhat truthful as the two 'bots were with Miko and Raf. "How did your trip go?"

"It was amazing, Optimus," Smokescreen said, not noticing Orion's slight twitch at the name. "We catalogued new planets that even the Archives hadn't mentioned, I'm sure of it!"

"That's nice, Smokescreen," Ratchet said, finding it harder to stay in profile than he thought. "You can fill us in on the details later, right now I need to see each of you in the medical bay. You've gone five months without checkups, not to mention who knows what landing on foreign planets has done to your systems."

"Take it easy, doc," Wheeljack said, throwing off Ratchet's servo. "What's the rush?"

Ratchet huffed with genuine irritation. "Are you being deliberately imprudent? I will not have you walking around the base, contaminating everything you touch with no who knows what kind of alien bacteria. Medical bay now!"

{_Nemesis_ – Bridge}

_He was no longer what he had once been. It had all been stripped away, torn and shredded from his frame and processor like unwanted rust or corrupted data. No more will he race with his fellow grounders, for his wheels were ripped off and replaced with wings. He is a seeker now, a skinny framed 'bot of the sky and a slave. A monster. That is what he has been turned into, a freakish experiment of science. _

_ He wants to scream, to run and hide in a dark corner of the planet where no one will ever find him. Yet he can do none of these things. His voice is gone, his mouth welded shut and his vocal chords replaced with reinforcing neck structures to make his helm harder to rip off. His limbs are chained to the wall, the links clinking together as he shifted on his peds._

_ He flinched when fingers trailed up a wing and caressed his blank visor with hard strokes. "Perfection," a voice from a faceless helm purred in his audios. Around him are other mechs chained to the walls but they hang listless, their sparks having either extinguished due to the trauma or blasted apart by the scientist himself when their processors broke under the strain of having their frames mutilated into unnatural shapes. Death fills the air, it is cycled through his vent system as he shakes under the scientist's touch. He is unprepared for the band of cold metal that snaps around his neck, and he tries to jerk away as it is locked into place. "I am Shockwave, and you are my weapon of peace. You will help me end this war, you will break those who resist me, you, my Soundwave, will—" _

"Hey you!" Soundwave pulled himself out of the memory file and turned, looking down in the direction of the approaching, tiny footsteps. "Yes you, Mr. I'm-Gonna-Intimidate-You-With-My-Silence!" It was the youngest femme, he could hear her guardian's lumbering footsteps before the door closed but the grounder would most likely be on the bridge within a few seconds. She had given Bulkhead the slip or had ditched him when her guardian had not approved of her plan, Soundwave would have to check the security tapes to see which it was.

The Vehicons stared at the tiny human as she ran toward the communications officer. Soundwave could detect no fear in her; she was perfectly at ease in a room filled with Decepticons though somewhat hyper. She skidded to a stop before him, looking up at him expectedly and he found himself wanting to make sure that he did not disappoint her.

"Miko!" Her guardian had entered the bridge, looking uneasy at the Vehicons and Soundwave before walking towards the girl at the TIC's peds. "I don't think you—"

Soundwave lifted a servo, making Bulkhead stop midsentence. The communications officer crouched down and offered his servo, palm up, to Miko. The black, pink highlighted haired teen looked up at him, showing no signs of shyness but grinning at him with, what the humans called, a '100 watt smile'. She jumped onto his servo, her bio readings going up but with excitement rather than alarm.

"Miko…assist?" Soundwave played two different voice recordings to the girl.

"Ya sure can, Soundy!" Miko said, making Bulkhead groan. "I know ya're like the king of all things technological around here, eyes and ears glued to every TV, camera, gizmo and whatchamacallit. So, do ya think ya could let us watch what's happening down below? Maybe even inside the Autobot base itself?"

"Miko," Bulkhead said, "you can't expect—"

"Look! I get it why Jack got in on the action, once again, but that doesn't mean I'm not entitled to watching what's going on, right?"

Soundwave tilted his helm at her, mentally smiling at her spunkiness but knowing that if he had been his guardian he would not have put up with such disrespect. Bulkhead looked defeated, caving into her need for attention most likely not for the first or last time. The communications officer did no mind the interruption, he did not mind the request, but an uncertified individual should not run onto the bridge especially during an ongoing mission. Yet it was not his place to discipline her.

He moved one of his data cables to a nearby workstation and tapped a few buttons. The screens came to life, showing the inside of the Autobot base for all on the bridge to see. "Suh-weet!" Miko said, plopping herself down on Soundwave's palm to watch the screen. She looked back up at him, cracking a smile that somehow managed to look innocent and mischievous at the same time, "Ya don't mind, do ya?"

In answer, Soundwave moved his servo to the workstation and tilted his palm. Miko squeaked with indignity as she slid off of the hand and onto the flat metal beneath her. "Ya're no fun!"

Soundwave did the equivalent of a shrug and walked to another station to work. "I'm sorry about that," Bulkhead said, once Miko was fully absorbed in watching the interchange between Wheeljack and Ratchet. "Miko always acts first and thinks after."

Soundwave remembered seeing the three wards in the thick of things, especially that first time when he had encountered them. Scaring them had not worked, especially the young femme. She was fearless, or perhaps she was an addict for dangerous situations? Never happy unless she had gotten her quota for an adrenaline rush for the day. He could think of several human discipline tactics that would, most likely, cure her of her impulse to fling herself into danger, but, once again, he was not her guardian.

"Hey look!" Miko shouted. "They're going into Ratchet's torture chamber!"  
>The Vehicons made sounds of distress, as they whirled from their positions to look at the screen. Soundwave sent out a comforting wavelength to soothe the drones, knowing that traumatized Vehicons were not something he had time to deal with today. "Miko!" Bulkhead tried to admonish, but his voice came out more like a half-plea instead, as if asking why she had to be as she was.<p>

Soundwave did not approve of the dismissive wave Miko gave her guardian, as if saying, 'Oh, what's the big deal?' Yet he did nothing, because she was not his. To distract himself, Soundwave returned to his searching for MECH's new base and the location of Shockwave.

{Autobot Base – Medical Bay}

Ratchet blew air out of his vents in relief when both Wheeljack and Smokescreen were rendered inert due to forced stasis-lock. Knockout came out of hiding once the Autobot medic gave him the all clear. With two medics working on the coding this whole ordeal would be over in mere minutes.

Hooking up the medical cables to the ports, Ratchet and Knockout got to work. Knockout was not surprised by the amount of coding he found in Smokescreen, as a novice of the Elite Guard the council would have ensured his loyalty and commitment to the Autobot cause. Deleting the unwanted command codes was not easy, which made Knockout glad that he had hacker skills as well as medical knowledge. The codes that he could not outright delete, Knockout first had to break into before then trying to erase them from Smokescreen's systems. A growl of frustration from Ratchet made the Decepticon smile, apparently he was not the only one having problems.

There, another code gone, Knockout moved onto the next code with a sigh. Knockout would be the last to admit it, but he rather liked it when he was not fighting for the life of his patient and could take his time with the job instead of having to quickly seal off an energon leak or repair a vital system before it crashed. Not that what he was doing was not dangerous in its own right, overlooking one code inputted by the council could be detrimental to Smokescreen's health as well as hazardous to everyone else. So, Knockout carefully removed the codes one by one, the medical bay mostly silent save for the beeping from consoles and Ratchet's grumbling.

Knockout became mildly concerned when he finished two hours later and Ratchet was still hard at work. He would have thought that a Wrecker would have taken less time than an Elite Guard, but he was apparently wrong. After sending a diagnosis code to check the young Autobot for any alien substances, Knockout turned to look at Ratchet.

The Autobot medic was glaring at his screen, sifting through the layer of codes that were in Wheeljack very slowly. Too slowly, actually. Knockout understood the need for some people to be perfectionists, he was that way with his paintjob after all, but one could only double check one's work so much. If you thought you still might be missing something but could not find it then it might be best to call in a fresh pair of optics.

"Need help?" Knockout asked, earning a glare for his effort.

Ratchet looked thoroughly ticked off, and concerned. "I cannot find Protocol 371."

That statement was enough to make Knockout's spark run cold. "At all? Are you sure? Maybe it's merely hidden under another layer of code?"  
>"Knockout," Ratchet growled in frustration, "it is not there. I found the usual codes of loyalty and honesty to the council, but there is no protocol 371 nor any forced aggressive coding or violence. His coding is largely untampered with."<p>

Knockout said nothing, he was too numb to think let alone speak. His processor brought up the memory file from all those years ago, when he had first seen Wheeljack barge into the captured Decepticon medical clinic and murder all the critically wounded, Autobots and Decepticons alike. He shuddered, his optics shuttering for a brief moment before he looked back at Ratchet.

"What do you suppose that means?" Knockout's voice had dropped a few decibels; he did not trust himself at the moment to not do something rash.

Ratchet shook his head, "I don't know. It is possible they had a servo in writing his original coding but I would have thought there would be more evidence to account for the way he is."

"Recommendations?" Knockout asked, taking a step away from the unconscious Wrecker.

"Our options are not something you and I should decide on our own, we need to bring in Prime and Megatron for this."

"Agreed." Knockout turned away, bracing himself on Smokescreen's berth. He had been prepared to forgive Wheeljack for the atrocities the Wrecker had committed that day and every other time the medic had heard of. But if Wheeljack had been aware of his actions, knowingly executing the wounded right and left without batting an optic, than there would be no forgiveness. Right now he wanted nothing more than to arm his blaster and shoot the Wrecker's spark to pieces, but that would make him no better than Wheeljack.

{_Nemesis_ – Bridge}

_On unsteady peds, the newly named Soundwave followed the bulkier mech down the hallway, dreading the ominous promise of being granted a trial run to test his new abilities. Once released from the chains he had tried to attack the fiend who destroyed his life, but his new weapons systems had refused to lock-on and his servos halted within inches of hitting the larger mech. _

_ "Did you think I would make such a perfect instrument to serve me and not ensure that it would not turn on me?" _

_ They entered a large room and Soundwave halted at seeing his team chained to the walls, much like he had been. The Autobots were alive, though sporting wounds that leaked energon. They did their best to look at the two newcomers without fear, but he could see it in their optics nonetheless. _

_ "These test subjects have outlived their usefulness," Shockwave said, no emotion whatsoever leeching into his words. "Dispose of them."_

No_! Soundwave turned to him, pleading silently with shakes of his helm not to do this. The chained Autobots thrashed against their manacles, yelling threats or cries of mercy against their approaching doom. _

_ Shockwave's red optic burned right through his visor and into his own begging red ones. "Kill them."_

"Hey, what're ya doing?"

Bulkhead could have told Soundwave that unless Wheeljack went berserk in ten seconds the screen would not hold Miko's attention, but he was not exactly ready to be chummy with the Decepticon just yet. Let the communications officer worry about how to entertain the girl, the ex-Wrecker would stay close to make sure Miko did not annoy any of the Decepticons too much but other than that Bulkhead would take a backseat to this. It might be entertaining.

Soundwave turned to see that Miko had turned from the view screen and was trying to gain a Vehicon's attention. The drone in question looked briefly down at the small human before returning to his task. However, this was not enough to thwart Miko's desire for some action.

The girl got up and made her way to where the Vehicon was working. She did not ask for help as she made her way across a connecting metal piece to the other workstation. The Vehicon stilled, his helm tilting to watch the small human and Soundwave could see the drone's fingers tremble slightly. The drones knew how to operate with straightforward instructions and were quite comfortable on the _Nemesis,_ and even working the energon mines or fighting Autobots. But the humans were so small, erratic and different, they made the Vehicons uneasy.

Miko grinned at her reflection in the Vehicon's visor, "What's your name?"

The Vehicon shifted on his peds, "Designation A105478."

"No, no, your name!" Miko protested. "Mine's Miko, I'm Japanese."

The Vehicon was no doubt scrambling with his limited processor range to form a reply. "No name."

"What? That's horrible. You can't go through life just being a number!" Miko thought for a second, "I'll call you Haru, that's my favorite uncle's name. Hmm, 'course I'll have to mark you somewhere so I can tell you apart from everyone else."

There were certain words you did not use around Vehicons, 'mark' was one of them. Drone A105478 latched onto that forbidden word and jumped back, bringing his blasters to bear on the tiny human in half a second. Bulkhead jumped forward, but was pushed aside by Soundwave, who grabbed Miko with a data cable while laying a servo on the Vehicon's powering up blaster.

Once the girl was safely hidden behind the communications officer, Soundwave tapped his fingers against the Vehicon's helm. He focused on soothing the drone, calming the agitated nerve circuits until the Vehicon powered down his blaster and bowed his helm. Certain that the crisis had been diverted, Soundwave kept the thankfully quiet human out of A105478's sight while he walked out of the bridge, Bulkhead in tow.

Soundwave brought his data cable to his servo and deposited the girl in his grasp, bringing her up close. This had moved beyond a guardian's role, she had caused turmoil on the bridge and with Megatron and Dreadwing absent that left Soundwave in charge. It was up to him to scold her for her actions, but he knew he would be more lenient than either of the ex-gladiators would have been.

"What happened back there? Was he afraid I'd hurt him? That's silly! He's so—"

_Young one, desist_, Soundwave said, earning him not only peace from the small human but also a very shocked expression.

"You can talk? In my head? How's that possible?"

_Human sparkling minds are very open, lacking firewalls to protect their brains from intrusion or suggestion. No matter, I shall take advantage of this fact to lay down some much needed ground rules for you, small one. You will leave the Vehicons alone, unless they approach you. They are drones, we freed them as much as we could from the council's hold but they simply lack the sufficient processor space to be of the same intellect as the rest of us. They were meant to process only orders and carry them out, not to think or answer questions. We have done what we could to upgrade their processors to allow more data but anything more than that would break down their frames. _

"Wait hold up, you lost me. Drones, council, processors. Is there going to be a quiz?"

Bulkhead stared at them, completely in the dark as to what was going on. Soundwave paid him no mind; instead his processor whirled on how to get through to this not-quite-ready-to-leave-sparklinghood human the importance of what he was saying. In the end he gave up and went with simple, more direct instructions.

_You will stay away from the Vehicons and stay off the bridge. Disobey these rules and you will be confined to your quarters with plenty of 'quizzes' to keep yourself occupied. Understood_?

"Sheesh, ok, I get it."

Satisfied, Soundwave deposited Miko in Bulkhead's servo and reentered the bridge.

{Autobot Base – Medical Bay}

"We do not have time to deal with this." Knockout whole heartily agreed with Megatron on that statement, but Orion looked less convinced.

"We cannot simply ignore this problem," Orion said. "The loyalty code was removed, he should be given the chance to explain himself before we condemn him."

"I vote against bringing him out of stasis-lock," Ratchet said. "Wheeljack is a very violent, and hardened mech. There is a lot of anger running though his processor, all of it pointing to the Decepticons and all of it originating from within himself, no outside influence. Once he comes to and notices the missing codes and that he was forced into stasis that anger will most likely transfer to us, Prime."

"The problem is not being ignored, Orion," Megatron said, making a point to say his friend's name in front of Ratchet. "We simply do no have the time to deal with this. I will agree that he deserves at least a trial where he can speak up his defense but there are bigger issues we have to face now."

"Then what do you suggest?" Orion asked, his stance not happy but Megatron knew his friend would back up his decision.

"The Wrecker will remain in stasis-lock, hooked up to life support and locked up in a secure room. Once MECH and Shockwave have been dealt with then we will bring Wheeljack out for his trial. That way we have the available time to deal properly with this situation, and not miss anything vital simply because some of were in a hurry to get it over with. Agreed?" When everyone nodded Megatron relaxed a little, "Knockout and I will secure the Wrecker, you two had better bring the novice online and see how he responds to the council's treachery, Dreadwing will be in the hallway if you need assistance."

**AN: I'm back! Sorry for the break but I just needed some time off, I really did. Updates should be more frequent now, that is if nothing crazy happens in my life these next few weeks. I should seriously start wrapping this story up soon. Also, I beat my record; this chapter is 7 and a quarter pages long!**

**Decepticons: 19**

**Autobots: 9**


	37. Megatron is Needed

**Mrs. Ukitake: Welcome, and thanks for taking on the job as beta.**

**Wildpaw1: Welcome and thanks for the review! **

**Stitchar: Thanks!**

**Purest of Hearts: Don't panic! **

**Starfire201: I didn't surprise you? Inconceivable!**

**64: I have the feeling that if you had an account you would be hounding me with messages that would say "Update! Update! Update!" Lol, if I don't update quickly there is a valid reason, mon ami, I swear. **

**QuantumSheep: That was my thinking about Wheeljack as well, especially how he's portrayed in the Prime TV show. Yes Miko is super annoying in the show and I could not understand why no one got really firm with her, even Bulkhead, as her guardian, should have been a lot more authoritative instead of helping her ditch detention and not keeping an optic on her after they find out her tendency to sneak off on missions. A lot of people have brought up the question: is Soundwave Blaster? I don't know Blaster, I just had Soundwave as an Autobot before Shockwave got him but didn't have any real idea of who he was.**

**Guest: Glad you liked the Megatron/Bumblebee interaction, there will definitely be more.**

**Phoenyx Starr: Welcome and thanks for the review! Who's your favorite bot?**

**Answerthecall: Thanks, and there's always a reason.**

**Thunderweb: It might be a little convenient but with MECH and Shockwave needing to be dealt with I did not need a rampaging Wheeljack running around. **

**Sora Matasuki: Thanks!**

Chapter Summary: Everyone needs Megatron and Shockwave seeks to checkmate.

{_Nemesis_}

Megatron wondered if it was not too late to return to his quarters for a recharge and pretend this day never happened. He knew that as a leader it was inevitable to go through a day without someone needing to run something by the Decepticon warlord for approval but this was ridiculous! The only times he had ever had to be contacted by the heads of the different departments was before they went into battle, which was what he thought had happened after being so rudely pinged out of recharge by five mechs who all needed to speak him immediately. Megatron figured that if what they had to say could not have waited an hour more to when he was scheduled to come out of recharge then all five mechs had better be in a matter of life or death situation, for their own sakes.

The Decepticon leader prioritized the messages, deciding to start with the first one he had received which also happened to be the closest to his quarters. Unfortunately it also dealt with his least favorite subject: their human guests. Megatron had really not thoroughly thought through his plan when he had ordered the human charges to be brought aboard, perhaps he should have had a safe house built somewhere for them instead.

Coming towards the room where the humans had been sequestered, Megatron saw a Vehicon pacing back and forth in a very agitated manner and looking over abundantly relieved at spotting the Decepticon leader's approach. The source of the Vehicon's agitation was undoubtedly the human femme who stood glaring at said drone with a very irritated expression, which, of course, was shifted to Megatron when she saw him. What was the elder female's name? June Darby, that was it, mother of Jack.

"Lord Megatron—" the Vehicon began, but was rudely interrupted by the small human.

"Megatron—" the woman began but then paused, her neck straining to look up at him and Megatron was gratified to see a little bit of fear enter her eyes. _Of course,_ he thought, _now she remembers that my race is something to be afraid of_. But the woman recovered for too quickly for Megatron's liking. "I know that removing us from our homes was necessary due to the threat of MECH and this Shockwave person but do you think you could give me details on how the situation is going? How long must we stay here? I was able to explain our absence by taking an extended holiday with the children but soon school will be starting and my leave will end. If we do not return to Jasper when we are scheduled to our families will be in trouble with the government for not having the children back in time for school and when we finally return it will make explaining this situation very hard. Plus there is the matter of the children. I have barely seen Raf, except for meals, and Jack has been recuited for missions without my permission. Miko is confined to quarters but does her best to sneak out and won't listen to me. These things cannot continue, sir."

Megatron drew in a calming breath of air, letting it cycle through his system before he drew in another, and then another. Once he no longer felt the urge to stomp on the human or walk away he returned his gaze to the woman. "Mrs. Darby," the only reason Megatron fought to keep himself calm was because he knew Orion and Bumblebee would be disappointed if he were not, "I think you fail to grasp the seriousness of this 'situation'. Your very lives are in danger if MECH or Shockwave get ahold of you. They will not simply kill you; you will be used against your guardians and tortured if their demands are not met. I care neither what your government will think nor how difficult explaining your return will be. The only reason you, Mrs. Darby, are here is because you are Jack's mother, who is a ward of the Autobot faction, which is temporarily receiving shelter in my ship from enemies we do not know the location of. My concerns are my crew, my ship, and those who have willingly joined me in this war. For we are at war, Mrs. Darby, make no mistake of thinking otherwise. If we do not stop Shockwave and MECH they will enslave your planet, your people, and destroy everything they do not want. I refuse to allow the children to be used against their guardians and thereby endanger our whole operation. I do not have time to deal with your petty complaints! You will trust that Raf's guardian will see to the boy's needs and comfort, you will speak with Arcee over your concerns with your son, and the Japanese girl will be left to Bulkhead's guardianship. If the children must still remain here by the time their next school year starts then you will simply have to teach them yourself. Until then, to keep yourself occupied, you will report to the medical bay every day and work an 8-hour shift under Knockout's or Ratchet's direction. Failure to comply with this order will earn my displeasure," he crouched slightly to look her straight in the eye, "and I assure you, human, that that is not something you want to earn."

The quick nod and wide eyes were enough to assure him that he had won that round and Megatron straightened up to look at the Vehicon, who was shifting slightly from one ped to another. "When Mrs. Darby is ready escort her to the medical bay."

"Yes, lord Megatron."  
>The second ping had come from the rec room and was actually the source of the third and fourth pings as well, so Megatron quickly found an elevator. What could possibly have happened in the rec room? It was one of the most peaceful rooms on the whole ship! Of course that might have been jeopardized now that the Autobots were allowed to walk freely around the <em>Nemesis<em>, except Smokescreen who had to be in the company of at least Bulkhead or the Twins until he proved himself. Megatron took that precaution not only because the young mech had been a member of the Elite Guard but also because of the great difficulty Knockout had had in breaking the controlling codes. Since the medic had been unable to give a 100% clearance that Smokescreen would not feel any 'ghost' effects from the codes he had to be kept in the optic' range of someone at all times.

There were Vehicons filling the hallway outside the rec room, trying to see inside and this did nothing to allay Megatron's growing fears suspicions. They quickly moved out of his way once they saw him approaching and Megatron quickened his pace to get inside. Inside the rec room the Decepticon leader was surprised to find that the room was a mess. Spilled energon cubes, a broken table and Knockout was tending to a very injured Blurr, who looked like he had had his helm smashed in. Arcee and Bulkhead, along with their charges and Raf, were next to a wall, having no doubt done their best to keep the children safe during the fight. For a brief moment he wondered about Smokescreen's location and then remembered that Orion was going to be using the rookie as target practice while his friend reacquainted himself with his weapon systems.

Megatron looked around, expecting to see some beaten up Vehicons but the only Decepticon in the room was Knockout. To the Decepticon leader's surprise, the Twins were pinning Bumblebee to the wall, and the scout looked at Blurr's injured frame with sad optics.

"What is going on here?" The reactions to his question were varied save that all the mechs, and femmes, jumped in surprise. Bumblebee looked up at and then dropped his head, his blue optics conveying shame. Knockout looked as though he were making a valiant effort to keep his thoughts to himself and the Twins held a great deal of trepidation in their optics, a look he had never seen on them before and it was quite unsettling.

Many voiced tried at once to answer his question but Megatron raised a servo to silence them. "Knockout, take Blurr to the medical bay for attention, you should have done that already." The glare that the medic sent his way would have melted right through his armor if it had had the power to do so. "The rest of you clear out, except for you, little scout." Bumblebee hung his helm further while the others vacated the room and Megatron advanced on him, "Do I assume correctly that you are responsible for my rec room being in shambles?" When this question only earned him a nod and further dropping of a helm, Megatron cupped two digits under Bumblebee's chin and forced his head up. "You have a voice, little scout, I suggest that you use it."

Bumblebee took an intake of air before speaking, "We were just talking, telling stories and I was hanging out with Blurr. We…we were very close back on Cybertron, both war orphans you know? So I was really trying to get our friendship back, I just wanted my friend back." Megatron rested a servo on the smaller mech's trembling frame, "I'm—I'm not sure what happened. He had asked me about my alt mode, and we were comparing cars." Bumblebee's optics widened as he reviewed the memory file, "I hit him. I wanted to hit him! Hurt him! Make him pay!"

Megatron steadied Bumblebee with both servos now, "Why? What was said to make you lose control?"

"How did you—"

"I was not sparked yesterday, little scout, I know how to recognize the painful reaction to a traumatic memory file. He said something that triggered your memories of being in MECH's hands and you attacked him, no doubt thinking he was one of your torturers or wishing to silence the voice that was ringing in your audios. Now that you know that I know what you have gone through, will you answer my question?"  
>Bumblebee could not ignore that gentle yet firm query. So like a father! How often had he seen Raf's father talk to his son like this? How often had he wished to remember a memory of his own parental units who had died back on Cybertron? "Stingray."<p>

"What?"

"Blurr's alt mode is called a s-stingray. That's what Silas called me." Bumblebee looked at Megatron, anger swirling in his optics. "He ordered me to respond to that name and nothing else. He sought to strip my very identity away, everything that made me who I am, and replace it with what he called 'perfection'. Stingray. I have heard that name slither through my processor while I recharge, and only having Knockout's classical music on seems to keep these 'nightmares' at bay." Bumblebee looked away. "You wanted me to heal, but every time I feel like I've taken a step forward something happens to pull me back! Why do I feel like he still owns me? I'll never be—"

"Still that talk right now," Megatron ordered. "Silas does not own you, he never did!" Anger threatened to overtake him but it was not aimed at Bumblebee, rather at a small human who was proving to be a very big problem. "He will be ended. He will haunt you no more. I swear it. No one else will be harmed by him. Do you believe me?"

"Yes."

"_Lord Megatron, your presence is requested on the bridge_."

"Come, let us see what is happening above us."

Since there was no use protesting against Megatron, Bumblebee obediently fell in step with the Decepticon leader. They exited the rec room and Megatron ordered the lingering Vehicons to see to the mess inside. Nothing was said further until they were in the elevator.

"I have been meaning to ask why you took a bumblebee as your sigil and not the Autobot. I find it very curious," Megatron admitted, looking down at Bumblebee.

"I am not an Autobot," Bumblebee said. Megatron looked like he was about to argue and the scout cut him off. "I'm not. The Autobot faction is nothing but the fighting arm of the council, whose lies are still destroying Cyvertronian lives. Neither am I a Decepticon since you formed that faction to end the council and the ruling class of Cybertron and that has been done. Orion Prime is not a threat anymore he is your ally. I will not be in a faction, I will be myself, and the bumblebee is who I am." Bumblebee smiled, grateful that he could actually perform the function for once.

Megatron nodded, knowing that once this whole mess with MECH and Shcokwave was cleaned up that he would have to sit down with Orion and go over the particulars. He was loath to do so, however, because he did so despise politics.

Stepping onto the bridge Megatron was met with his bridge officers and Orion. He did not spare a thought as to where Smokescreen was because Soundwave flashed a very urgent sign at him. On the display was the sign of gate bridge activity, over one of the islands of Japan if he was not mistaken. "What is it Soundwave?"

It was Dreadwing who answered, "A gate bridge opened over Honshu, Japan. Satelite photos caught Starscream exiting and we believe Tokyo is his target."

"Then there is not time to waste." Megatron turned, "Soundwave ready a ground bridge, Orion you and these five seeker Vehicons are with me."

There were no arguments and Bumblebee watched them disappear through the ground bridge. He turned to the silent mech, Soundwave nodded at him before turning his attention to the screen. The scout knew that they had the same thought: what could Starscream possibly want in Japan?

{Honshu, Japan – In for a Rude Awakening}

In Tokyo the day had started like any other, with the streets filling with people on their way to work. A few tourists tried to navigate their way using tour guidebooks and horribly butchering pronunciation of everything they tried to say. In short there was much honking, a lot of speeding cars and a few people with short tempers that you see in every country when there's a language barrier. All around a normal day that would soon be very unforgettable for all the wrong reasons.

The approaching roar of a plane was heard first by those in the upper stories of the buildings, who did not have the sounds of street muffling their hearing. Intrigue and raised eyebrows, which quickly turned to alarm at seeing the fighter plane descending on the city, had many running for the stairs. What caught the attention of the people in the streets was the sounding of the air raid siren, not heard in so long that many paused in disbelief before turning to catch a glimpse of the plane coming at them.

Screams erupted like a wave, fear spreading to every soul as the plane opened fire on Tokyo. Missiles were launched at buildings, Starscream flew in and down, opening up with a torrent of yellow laser fire on the streets. Cars exploded and he flew on, leaving a trail of mayhem in his wake.

"_How delicious their screams sound_," the voice in his audios purred. "_Like a fine cube of high grade energon, just tantalizing you with its smell. You raise it to your mouth, just inhaling to savor it more before drinking. How more satisfying it would be to scoop up a pile of these fleshbags and crush them in your talons, coating you armor with the blood of your kill. Marking yourself in such a way is the only way to truly embrace yourself. What are you Starscream? A killer. You enjoy killing, especially this pathetic species that does not deserve to live as anything other than a source of amusement for us, the superior life forms."_

Starscream did a barrel roll, in an attempt to dislodge the voice but it continued to burn his circuitry. Defiling his inner workings like the cybonic plague, corroding his innards and he knew no number of trips through the wash rack would clean away the stench of his shame.

"Soundwave," Shockwave's voice came into his head, "continue to primary target."

This had just been a distraction, firing on the city and terrorizing the Japanese citizens, nothing more. Starscream had known that beforehand, Shockwave had told him, his real target was a house on the outskirts of the city. He did not know why, of course, but he knew it was not anything good; there was nothing good in his life now. In fact he could barely remember when he had last cared about happiness or wanting a good thing in his life. It was no matter though; he would never attain anything worth keeping now.

Starscream reached the house and transformed, registering the surprised shouts of the house's occupants. A man and a woman, middle aged, and running for the back of the house. No doubt trying to escape, not knowing that such an action was futile. There was no escape from Shockwave.

Starscream tore the house apart with his claws, wood splintering into the crevices of his armor and irritating the wiring yet he ignored this. "Hashiru Aiko!" He had found his quarry; he caught off their escape with his servos, leaving them no place to go. To his credit, the male human moved in front of his wife, trying to protect her though he must have known how ineffective that would be in stopping this giant robot.

Starscream reached down to grab them but a sound caught his attention and he looked up. Megatron was approaching with five Vehicon seekers, so much for Shockwave's distraction plan. _All the better though_, he thought, _perhaps this time they'll finally kill me_. He opened fire on the approaching seekers, his missiles locking on and zooming off in a second. Megatron transformed halfway and shot down the missiles, as Starscream could have told Shockwave he would.

The humans temporarily forgotten, it would take them awhile to climb out of where they were trapped anyway, Starscream again waited for Shockwave's enemies to land. He wondered why they had not opened fire yet, Megatron would not have hesitated like this so what was his former leader planning? He did not wait to find out, Starscream fired a few more missiles, impressed at how the Vehicons batted them out of the way, someone had been taking a lot more care with their training than he ever had.

"Shockwave!" Megatron growled, "Stop hiding behind your puppets and come out and face me!" Starscream wondered how Megatron knew, why was the Decepticon leader even bothering pursuing his former lieutenant in the first place? "Are you afraid?" Megatron goaded, his red optics boring into Starscream's. "Unsurprising that a mech of such lowly origin would be such a coward."

The sound of approaching planes distracted all of the mechs and they turned to see six Japanese fighter planes coming towards their direction. "Distract them!" Megatron growled, and the Vehicons quickly transformed and took off.

"_Starscream, grab the humans_," Shockwave ordered and Starscream quickly bent down to scoop up a human in each servo, his claws circling around their fragile bodies with a tight grip.

Megatron brought his cannon to bear but a shout of "No!" stopped him from firing. Starscream was shocked to see Optimus Prime run up to them, one arm out in Megatron's direction in an act of supplication. What in the Pit was going?

Starscream did not have time to ponder this because a ground bridge opened behind him. "_Starscream, throw the humans into the ground bridge_." Wondering at the order but not able to hesitate, Starscream turned and threw his two burdens into the open ground bridge.

"No!" Optimus Prime shouted again, running towards the ground bridge and Starscream.

"Starscream, your usefulness is at an end." The seeker had no time to panic for his senses went dark and his form crumpled to the dirt.

{_Nemesis_ – Bridge}

It had been a horrible day, Megatron concluded, and it was far from over yet, he was sure of that. They had returned to the _Nemesis_ with the body of Starscream, which Knockout and Ratchet had taken to the medical bay for analysis. Shockwave had sacrificed a pawn and hoped to gain what in return? Soundwave had found the identity of the two humans: Hiro and Aiko Nakadai, the biological parents of Miko.

A leader had many unpleasant duties and one of them was to inform a member of his crew of the passing or capture of a family member or close friend. Megatron had never shirked this duty, although he felt wholly inadequate at trying to console the grieving mech. Even though Miko was human she was under his protection and it was his failure to take in all the variables that had resulted in her parents being abducted. It was his duty to inform her of their capture, but he would leave the consoling to her guardian to perform.

When Bulkhead warily brought Miko on to the bridge Megatron was glad to see that she was blessedly quiet. Even she could realize that being summoned by the Decepticon leader was no joking matter. Her wide brown eyes were gazing at him with barely controlled fear, no doubt she thought he was about to scold her for some wrongdoing. She would probably wish it had been a scolding once he was done talking to her.

Before Megatron could begin a beeping sound, indicating a hail, came from a console. Soundwave looked at Megatron and he nodded for the go-ahead, eager to delay the inevitable conversation a little bit longer. The human girl would no doubt cry and he had no idea how to handle tears.

The view screen opened a window for the hail and Megatron's spark jumped at seeing Miko's parents kneeling on a table. "_Lord Megatron_," the voice of Shockwave drifted through the speakers, cold and emotionless as he remembered it being. He quickly motioned to Soundwave but he could have saved himself the trouble as the communications officer was already working on tracking the signal. "_For hundreds of years the chaotic doings of the Decepticon and Autobot forces has been left unchecked, destroying our home planet and colonies, leaving sparklings as orphans and doing nothing to restore order to our people. Thanks to you we are a scattered people, we have no home and must be beggars to races inferior to us. I say no more. I will bring peace to the Cybertronians, I will turn this Earth and its neighboring planets into a proper home for my people. Those who accept my code will live prosperously under my control, those who do not will meet the same end as these two unfortunate beings_."

"Otosan? Okasan?" Miko said, startling the mechs on the bridge for they had completely forgotten her.

Her parents looked up, gasping out "Miko?" as their eyes searched for her but she was too far back from the view screen's camera to pick up.

"_Oh good_," a different voice purred, and Megatron swore mentally that he knew it, "_the daughter is present_."

A mech's arm came into view, a cannon powering up and pointing at the two humans. Bulkhead was too frozen to move but a Vehicon near him grabbed the girl just as a shot was fired. Miko screamed, the drone's servos surrounding her, trying to shield her from seeing the burnt mark on the table but the girl did not have to see it. She had heard the cannon blast, and no one needed to tell her what had happened.

Collapsing in the Vehicon's grip she sobbed, fighting the urge to upheave her stomach contents. Feeling her body beginning to shut down, Miko turned to look up at the Vehicon who was holding her. "Haru?" she whispered and then her eyes closed, and her body went limp.

Megatron wheeled on the screen but it had gone blank, the line had been disconnected. "Did you find him?" he asked Soundwave, needing to hear something positive to salvage this disaster, something with which he could work to right yet another wrong he had helped commit.

**Decepticons: 20**

**Autobots: 9**


	38. Megatron's Vow

**Wisty: Welcome and thanks for the review. That was definitely my line of thinking. Why would I write about stuff everyone already knows? Nope, not for me.**

**MissCHSparkles: Welcome back! Once I wrap up Shockwave and MECH I'll get into Wheeljack's past but you're spot on. **

**Starfire201: Most leaders or tyrants(politicians) are hypocrites so writing Shockwave's character was pretty easy. Throwing away your assets will always prove to be a mistake.**

**B3lol: Yes I did.**

**Gajeel-rocks: Just trying to move it along.**

**Phoenyx Starr: Your favorite characters are safe then.**

**Jiotg: Welcome and thanks for the review. Stay tuned.**

**Stitchar: Any misspellings, grammar issues can be laid at my beta-reader's door.**

**IamStarscream: Sorry for the wait.**

**QuantumSheep: Robots talking about burgers could be fun, especially if Ratchet spent half the chapter trying to convince the children not to eat them since fast food is so unhealthy.**

**Thunderweb: A lot of people don't see that begging is a sign of humility, like the story of the proud lion who got caught in a trap and had to ask the mouse for help. Spacelady2012: Welcome and thanks for the review! Yes, Shockwave is definitely not right in the head. **

**Answerthecall: don't worry, he will. **

{_Nemesis_ – Bridge}

Outrage. Anger. Rage. The bridge was rampant with these emotions; even Orion Prime cannot stop them from igniting in his spark. The Autobots were assembled before Megatron; those who knew Miko the best were bristling with wrathful fury, all eager to leave that very moment to kill Shockwave. Bulkhead had to be held in place by Dreadwing, backed up by the Twins as the ex-Wrecker was fighting the seeker's grip with all his might.

Miko had been taken to the medical bay by the Vehicon on Megatron's order, as the Decepticon leader wanted her as far away as possible from the room where she had witnessed her parents' murder. The ex-gladiator listened to the shouting match Arcee and Bulkhead were having, their companions only adding to the din by yelling at bot to calm down. Megatron tried to assert his authority, knowing the best way to maintain control over the situation was to unite all of them but even his voice was lost amidst the sea of overlapping vocals.

Oblivious to all the noise, Soundwave stood motionless at his post. He had not moved since Megatron had enquired about whether Shockwave's location had been found, and that had been fifteen minutes ago. Behind his expressionless facemask, Soundwave's red optics were glued to the screen where he had seen the elder Nakadais' so ghastly executed.

Like Megatron, Soundwave had recognized the arm that had fired the killing shot and it had not been Shockwave. Unlike his leader though, Soundwave had been able to identify the owner of the arm rather quickly, unsurprisingly really given the fact that he was still haunted by the memory of what that mech had done years ago. The memory surfaced before his optics, a horrific reminder that it did not matter how strong or powerful you were you could still lose everything you hold dear in the blink of an optic.

_He had started to worry when she had missed her second check-in_. _One check-in she might miss, not two, something was wrong he could feel it_. _He should alert Megatron, but he holds off, hoping that he's wrong, hoping that she'll call in soon. She was just a few seconds late, that was all, just a few seconds_.

_Soundwave nearly jumped out of his frame when the call came in. His spark stuttering crazily in shock, happy shock, she was all right_!_ The jubilation he felt in answering her comm was like nothing he had ever felt before, nothing he had ever thought he would feel after Shockwave's mutilation_.

_When the video line popped up he was confused, and then his whole frame descended into a state of terror. There she was, his beautiful Sparknight, chained to a metal frame of some sort. He was motionless, frozen in place as her helm was grasped by a black servo_.

"_The Autobots did not take kindly to this pretty little femme snooping around their base. She gave a merry chase, Decepticon, but no one outwits me for long. I always bag my prize in the end." Sparknight's head was tilted to look at the camera, her maroon optics leaking coolant, "An extra bonus was paid if I make sure what this pretty one found out never reaches your side, how I do that was left up to me so enjoy the show Decepticon_,"

_A whirl of machinery and he could see the panic build of Sparknight's optics, "Soundwave_!"

"Soundwave?" A hand touched his arm and the communications officer whipped around, priming his blaster and aiming it at Bumblebee's head.

Silence stretched across the bridge, even the Vehicons froze at their stations. No one moved, no one dared. A pin dropping at this point would have startled even Megatron, and he was as still as the rest of the Cybertronians.

Soundwave carefully transformed his blaster back into his servo and rested it gently on Bumblebee's shoulder. It was an apology that everyone recognized and Bumblebee nodded to show that he accepted; yet he did not speak. The silence continued to reign at Soundwave turned to Megatron, making everyone jump as he forwent his customary tapping to a helm, which he only did out of consideration to others, and connected to everyone's processors on the bridge. Save the Vehicons, to them he sent a soothing wave that had them happily turning back to their stations and ignoring everything else.

'_Shockwave has overstepped himself; he has grown too sure of his movements and thinks he controls the chessboard. The execution of the Nakadais has revealed another piece, one who can be just as crafty as Starscream but equally as deadly as Shockwave: the bounty hunter named Lockdown_.'

There was a collective intake of air around the bridge spoke for itself of Lockdown's reputation. The bounty hunter had been a legend since before the war began, used primarily by the council to track down runaway slaves. He showed his true colors during the war by taking jobs for both sides and not caring that he went after the very mechs he had helped the day before. Megatron had never hired Lockdown himself, although Starscream had a few times but the Decepticon leader had put an end to that and placed a reward on the bounty hunter after having witnessed the merciless mech savagely dismember Sparknight before killing her.

Unfortunately, the Decepticons had never caught Lockdown; instead he had mysteriously vanished without a trace. Until today it seemed.

"Where did the signal come from, Soundwave?" Megatron asked, knowing that it was not only Bulkhead who was thinking of revenge but his TIC as well. "Where is Shockwave hiding?"

In answer, Soundwave used one of his data cables to connect to a terminal. The screen came to life, a red dot that Soundwave zoomed in on highlighted New York, before going to the top of the state and indicating Clinton county. '_It is an abandoned business town that was slated to be torn down but the records were altered and a historical protection seal was assigned. What we see on the surface is nothing more than what it is. I believe that Shockwave's lair in underneath, where it would be less noticeable to even our scanners_.'

"Agreed," said Megatron, "however, there is someone who can confirm this." He lifted his servo to activate his comm, "Knockout, is he ready to be brought online? Excellent, I shall be down shortly. Soundwave, move the ship into the upper atmosohere, we shall attack first through the gate bridge and then bring the _Nemesis_ in as backup if it is needed. Dreadwing and Orion, assemble your troops on the outer deck within the hour."

{_Nemesis_ – Medical Bay}

He opened his optics but immediately shuttered them against the blaring light above him.

"Starscream?" The voice made him snap his optics back open, thankfully to a dimmer lit room, and he was able to focus on the red mech leaning over him. Knockout, his processor identified for him, the medic on the _Nemesis_, Megatron's warship. Knowing who it was however did nothing to calm Starscream and he frantically whipped his helm about, sweeping the room with his optics. "He is not here, Starscream, do you hear me? Shockwave is not here!"

But the more Starscream became aware the more the fear grew within him. He did not stop to consider that his frame had been repaired, that his wings were in better shape than they had been for a while. All of Knockout and Ratchet's care was overlooked, as Starscream's processor was invaded by his memories from his enslavement.

Knockout backed up as Starscream thrashed against his restraints, his voice barely above a whisper as he pleaded to be released. The medic was at a loss as to how to proceed, he knew the slave code was no longer present in the seeker but the damage to memory files and Starscream's nervous system had not been easy to repair and Knockout feared the seeker would spend the better part of a year in the medical bay just trying to sort out the topsy-turviness of his memories.

This was the scene Megatron walked in on when he entered the medical bay. His red optics took in Knockout's perplexed face and Starscream's trembling frame with a disapproving sneer. He quickly made his way over to the berth and grabbed hold of Starscream, "Enough of this!" Surprisingly the seeker quieted at the contact, going rigidly still and looking up at him with such fear that he had never managed to instill in his former second-in-command before. "Starscream, where is Shockwave? Where is his lair? Who else besides Lockdown does he have working for him? Answer me!"

"I don't know!" Starscream finally managed to say, the whimpers escaping his throat as he tried to shrink into himself. "I don't know! I don't know! Shockwave! Shockwave! Code! Pain, pain, pain! I don't know!"

"It is no use, lord Megatron," Knockout said, "his memory files are too corrupted. It will take time to help him unscramble them and fill in the missing gaps."

"Time we do not have." Megatron looked down at the quivering seeker in his grasp and released him, "Very well, we shall make our move against Shockwave now, acting on the information we currently have at our disposal. If he says anything or you are able to unravel anything notify me immediately."

"I will, my lord."

Megatron exited the medical bay, more disturbed than when he had gone in. Shockwave had broken Starscream, most likely to a point from which he could never be completely fixed. There was only so much the Cybertronians could do on their own, without the AllSpark many of the more fragile circuitry in mechs and femmes could never be repaired.

He was going to kill Shockwave, but not quickly, oh no, the mech did not deserve a merciful death. No one would stop Megatron from enacting justice in the names of those whom the scientist had destroyed. Shockwave did not know the fury that was coming his way.

**AN: the character Sparknight does not belong to me but to my beta-reader, Mrs. Ukitake. Also, I start a new job Monday so…updates might be even slower, which is why I will try to write like crazy this weekend.**


	39. 2nd Push Against MECH

**AN: Almost 100 followers!**

**Wisty: I just saw the 4****th**** Transformers last week and was like, "I need Lockdown in my story!" Thanks on liking Soundwave's background story; I always thought they could have done more with him, even in Transformers Prime.**

**Stitchar: Glad you're keeping score! Thanks, my first week at work and I'm exhausted, they definitely do not take it easy on rookies. Anyway, I wanted to just sleep but I knew my loyal fans could only be patient for so long.**

**Answerthecall: Glad it was nerve-wracking, it was supposed to be. Yeah, Lockdown was the only character I could think of to be the mech with yellow optics, up to that point he really didn't have an identity.**

**Starfire201: the bad guys always do.**

**Igeegeei: Starscream would most likely try to kill you if you touched him. He's very touchy right now.**

**64: Please don't ask me to update just when I've updated a day in you reading this chapter. It makes me feel guilty when I can't update quickly. My job comes first.**

**QuantumSheep: Lockdown will definitely swagger, but the accent will be up to you reading it. Unless I remember to specifically say that he's using a British accent, but as he's going to be very (spoiler deleted) in the upcoming chapters I might forget to mention it. I've written multiple character stories and I think as long as I stay on top of where everyone is and mainly focus on my four main characters then I should be ok. But thanks for your concern, mon ami.**

{New York – Abandoned Town}

Just above the abandoned town a tiny green dot appeared, quickly swirling until it was larger. Less than half a mile down the road a second a second portal opened, its florescent green light clashing violently with the dark green, overgrown terrain. From both of these ground bridges the combined forces of the Autobot and Decepticon alliance poured forth. Megatron led the seekers, their frames only half transformed to glide the short distance to the ground. Orion Prime led the ground forces up the short stretch of road, Autobots and Vehicons mixed in with the bunch, and they were within the town's limits in a matter of seconds.

Megatron grinned when the town's defenses finally activated. By opening the ground bridge so close to the target, Soundwave had predicted that any defense systems would be momentarily delayed in responding, thereby buying a few seconds for the invading teams to get inside the town and surprise Shockwave. The Decepticon leader loved it when a plan came together.

The gun turrets that came up were facing away from the town, requiring time to turn around in order to face the Autobot/Decepticon forces. Time that Megatron's and Orion's mechs were able to use in order to open up fire first. No order was given to shoot; it was unnecessary to do so with such an obvious threat swiveling towards them.

A volley of blue and red laser fire opened up in the deserted town. The outer line of defense of the town was quickly destroyed, the fires from each of the blown up turrets quickly catching onto the dried wood of the town.

"Takethat, Shockwave!" Blurr yelled, jumping up and down. "Takethat, Shockwave!"

Megatron knocked his ped against the barrel from a turret, cocking an optic ridge as he noted the size and shape of it. "I have seen this design before." It took only a second for him to access his memory files and run a comparison but sometimes even the smallest measurement of time can be very costly.

The echoing roar of the shot almost completely drowned out the cry of pain, but the scream of outrage was easily heard.

"BLURR!" Megatron whipped his head around to see a smoking hole in the blue mech's chest plates. He quickly grabbed ahold of Bumblebee, who had started to jump forward with the intent of running to his fallen comrade's side. "No, let me go!"

"You swore to stay by my side, Bumblebee," Megatron said, pulling the smaller mech behind him as they both crouched, looking for the enemy. Bumblebee was too stunned by the fact that Megatron had actually addressed him by name to argue with the older mech's words. "Now keep your oath!"

A tank rolled out of a nearby building into their street and opened fire on their position. Megatron and Bumblebee ducked while the Decepticon leader powered his cannon and fired. The tank blew up in a blaze of red, black fumes curling up to the sky. A quick ping of the area revealed many more tanks coming out and opening fire of the Autobots and Decepticons.

"That's it," Megatron growled, pulling Bumblebee behind him. "I'm sending you back to the _Nemesis_. You can escort your friend Blurr back."

"What? No!" Bumblebee protested. "You promised that you wouldn't send me back! You want me to keep my oath? Well you have to keep yours too!"

Megatron growled in annoyance, maybe giving the pipsqueak back his voice had not been such a great idea. "You will obey me!"

"No!" Bumblebee pulled against the Decepticon's restraining grip.

"Bumblebee!" Megatron snapped, making the younger mech falter and look up at him. "You must leave now."

"But why?" Bumblebee asked, searching Megatron's blazing red optics for some sign as to explain the mech's change of spark. "I'm an adult, I can handle—"

'This is not Shockwave's base," Megatron argued, but two approaching tanks forced him to shove Bumblebee to the ground so that he could open fire before they did. Turning from the smoldering tanks, Megatron looked down into the angry blue optics of Bumblebee, "This is lair of MECH." His little scout's optics widened in alarm and comprehension, "Now do you understand? You must return to the _Nemesis_. Soudnwave, open a—"

"No!" Bumblebee stood up, ignoring the fighting going around him as he stood his ground. "If I leave now then I will never throw off their chains! I will not cower from their shadow anymore. Let me stand up for myself, let me face them. It is the only to keep Silas from haunting me any longer." Bumblebee drew in an unnecessary breath, "I don't want to be afraid anymore."

Red and blue stared at one another for a very intense moment, the older weighing the words of the younger before giving a deciding nod. "So be it."

It was then that they seemed to remember the ongoing battle and turned their attention to it. A Vehicon had evacuated Blurr's injured form back to the _Nemesis_, and others were assisting those of their comrades who were still functioning. There were at least three Vehicons who would never stand up again.

"Megatron," Orion called over, "the tanks, they're being driven by—"

"By humans who do not care what your morals are!" Megatron shouted, grabbing a tank from behind and hefting it up so he could throw it at another one. "Level the buildings and find the entrance to the underground, leave the tanks to us." Megatron tilted his helm, "Little scout?"

"I'm with you," Bumblebee said without hesitation. "I did promise after all."

"So you did."

A Vehicon near them took a blast to the back, spinning around to catch a second to the chest before falling. The Twins were back-to-back and batting away tank missiles with their hands. Sunstreaker growled as his armor was nicked, scratching the paint, and he shot at the tank that had fired.

"Sunny!" Sideswipe protested, turning slightly to look at his brother.

"They fired first!" Sunstreaker reasoned. "It's us or them, and I prefer it to be them."

Bulkhead and Arcee had joined Orion Prime in wrecking the already dingy buildings. The Vehicons provided them cover while they searched for an entrance to MECH's lair. Ripping their way through the dilapidated buildings was fairly easy, the materials having become very flimsy after years of neglect to the structures. Orion had nearly lost his processor in shock when Megatron had sent out the wide ranged message that this was MECH's base, and not Shockwave's. It was doubtful that Shockwave would be hiding in the same place as MECH, he merely routed his transmission through them to the _Nemesis_, using them and discarding them at the same time. _Perhaps_, Orion thought, _we can use that to our advantage. Silas will surely want to tell everything he knows when we tell him Shockwave betrayed him._

Yet Orion was under no illusion that Silas would live to see the end of this day, if they wanted information then he would have to make sure that he got to the human before Megatron and Bumblebee did. Orion knew he was not hardsparked like Megatron was, nor did he have Bumblebee's justifiable anger, but he was not a coward. Optimus Prime had interrogated high-ranking prisoners during the war, often at the council's will, and Orion Pax had read nearly every file in the Archives, expanding his knowledge during his time of confinement within his processor. Orion Prime had the memories of both lives, united as one; all he had to do was use them to guide him through this.

"Prime!" Arcee called. "Over here!"

Meanwhile, Megatron and Bumblebee had turned the tide against the tanks. The number of tanks coming out of the abandoned buildings had, at first, been overwhelming, but once Megatron had been able to organize his forces again the small metal boxes on wheels had not stood a chance. Bumblebee had surprised the Decepticon leader by opening fire on a tank without prompting from Megatron, but the older mech supposed that it was easier to kill when you were not staring your enemy in the face.

Megatron drew his sword and sliced through a tank, not bothering to watch as its parts erupted. Bumblebee was exchanging fire with another tank, dodging missiles as he got closer before finally jumping on the tank and twisting the barrel. The little scout jumped off just as the tank fired its next shot, blowing itself apart. Once, Megatron might have taken satisfaction in seeing an Autobot change so much from who they were, but the sight of Bumblebee attacking Silas' minions only reminds the Decepticon leader of how much the adolescent suffered at the hands of these vile specimens of the human race. Orion would want to give them a chance, well those men driving the tanks were seeing their comrades dying and they had the chance to flee their vehicles but they chose not to, so they willingly continued on with their attack.

Finally, the last tank had been destroyed and all the buildings leveled. Megatron helped Bumblebee up, who had jumped to avoid a tank missile and had used a building to break his fall. The Twins were expressing their concern for one another by teasing each other about the number of scratches to their paint. "What are you complaining about? That one's hardly deep at all." Megatron could not understand how two such mechs, who spent more time on their finish than Knockout, could be such terrifying fighters. He remembered the times in battles past where Starscream and his seekers would refuse to come out when they had heard that the Twins were on the field, the terrible duo who had been built for the sole purpose of taking down aerial craft. Now they were fighting on the same side, such an unfathomable thought but there it was, and deep within his spark Megatron was glad to have them.

"_Megatron_," Orion's voice came over his com, "_we've found it_." He turned to see his friend with Bullhead and Arcee a ways off, looking down at something. "_I'm going in."_

"Orion wait!" But it was too late, his stubborn friend and his lackeys had already disappeared from sight.

"What's Orion doing?" Bumblebee asked, staying by Megatron's side though the Decepticon can tell that the young one is just itching to run ahead to investigate on his own.

"Being a fool," Megatron answered. "He should know by now that he doesn't have to prove anything to me." Glancing around at the remaining troops, the Decepticon leader knew that he did not have enough to storm MECH's lair, which would no doubt be filled with intricate passages and who knew what kind of booby traps. Making a decision, Megatron keyed his com, "Dreadwing, send in the reinforcements."

{_Nemesis_ – Medical Bay}

Starscream had been placed in an isolated room of the medical bay. From there he could see almost everything that went on in the larger room but with the lighting low where he was very few would be able to see him. Knockout had explained that to him and Starscream liked it that way, he liked not being seen but also being able to keep an optic on any movement around him. One had to careful after all, an attack could from any direction.

Since his confinement to this room only one thing had really held Starscream's attention. Miko Nakadai. She was lying in a small bed on a shelf, so that no one would bump into her. During the times when she was awake she would either be crying inconsolably, or scream at Ratchet to let her down so that she could 'kick that murdering scum into a new galaxy'. Needless to say, Knockout amply dosed her with a sleeping drug as often as he could, or when Ratchet was absent. Starscream watched her because he could not look away, he knew that it was her parents he had thrown through the ground bridge but he had not known their fates until Miko had sworn vengeance on the bounty hunter. Only the deaths of her procreators could have caused such sorrowful anger.

When the first of the injured had started tricking in through the medical bay's door, Starscream had watched the proceedings with wide optics. The fairly young blue mech was leaking energon from a chest wound, and there were Vehicons in even worse shape. Strange how he had never seemed to care about vehicons being wounded before, but now he looked upon each injury with mounting worry, wondering(or hoping?) if those hurt would survive.

The seeker could not help but remember, all too vividly, his own injuries. How they had been inflicted upon him even more cruelly than Megatron's punishments. The torture his sensitive wings had been put through at Lockdown's servos. The bounty hunter had taken great delight in reducing Starscream to a sobbing piece of twisted metal, eager to do anything in order to end his agony. Starscream whimpered, remembering all too clearly the horrors but nothing about where he had been. He knew he had been put on monitor duty several times, yet he could not recount anything that he had seen on the screens.

While Starscream was tormented by his memories he did not notice that something activated. Underneath his wing armor, hidden near the base of the wiring of the wing joints to the seeker's backs, was a very small tracking device. Even though it was not activated, the signal was so weak that it would take some time for it to reach its destination.

**AN: I got the idea that since so many people have commented that they would like to hug Bumblebee or Starscream, so I was thinking(I know, such a terrible thing) should I collect hugs for characters or should I take a favorite character vote?**

**Faction Vote:**

**Decepticons: 21**

**Autobots: 9**

**AN: Are the Autobot fans going to catch up? Or have the Decepticon fans taken over? **


	40. A Decepticon's Heart

**RaphaelplusMikey: Glad to have you back pal! Air hugs count!**

**Wisty: Blurr isn't dead, if you remember, Starscream saw him being brought into the medical bay. You don't take a dead mech to see a medic. Thanks for voting! Who's Zuko?**

**Purest of the Hearts: good point**

**64: An update just for you!**

**Stitchar: Yeah, Arcee would not be good for either Miko or Starscream, she's too defensive, even more so after having the coding taken out of her.**

**FallenNietehre: Another reviewer is back! Thanks for the votes!**

**Starfire201: I was confused at first, lol. **

**Igeegeei: Thanks**

**Spacelady2012: Noted**

**Answerthecall: Don't worry; the bad guys' time is coming to an end. Oops, was that a spoiler?**

**QuantumSheep: I've never watched A-team actually, but I have heard that quote around. I don't know about Bumblebee fighting Lockdown, I must have stepped out during that scene in AOE 'cause I don't remember it. Glad you liked that chapter though.**

**Miss Anonymous: Stay tuned, MECH isn't out of the running yet.**

**Thunderweb: You can hug as many as you want. I laughed at how you wanted to hug the bad guys to death, lol.**

{New York – MECH's Headquarters)

Megatron growled in annoyance when he landed at the end of the elevator shaft. Orion and the other Autobots were not in sight, just as he had suspected, and his friend was ignoring his com calls. What was it that humans said? 'Lovable idiot'? Yes, that definitely applied to Orion.

'Too bad I can't take him over my knee," Megatron muttered. Dreadwing looked at him with a raised optic ridge and Bumblebee's optics went wide, "Well don't just stand there! Dreadwing, take the Twins and seekers down that way. I'll take the grounders this way. If you so much as think of ignoring my coms or not comming me when you find Orion I will ground you for a week!"

Every seeker whimpered at the threat, even Dreadwing was not immune to Megatron's words. His wings drooped and tucked away, trying to stay out of the line of sight. "By your command, Lord Megatron."

They split into two groups and Bumblebee stayed close to Megatron's back. Right now Bumblebee was fighting to stay true to his purpose and not run, like he really wanted too. His processor was fighting to stay focused on the here and now, and not be swallowed into the memory files that threatened to surface at any moment. It was a struggle, not only because he was, once again, inside a MECH base but also because the similarities between where he was kept and this place were too many to be comfortable with.

_Commence the procedure._

Bumblebee jerked, his eyes landing on some disconnected cables in a corner. It was surely his imagination that made the ends look like the one Silas had used to install the slave code.

_Welcome to MECH, Stingray_.

Bumblebee jumped forward, quickly grabbing ahold of Megatron's arm, halting the larger mech in his steps. The Decepticon leader glanced back, assessing Bumblebee's wide optics and slight shaking. "Little scout?"

"I-I'm all right." At Megatron's questioning gaze Bumblebee steadied himself, "I really am."

Bumblebee knew he had not fooled Megatron, the older mech's optics were too wise and understanding. The Decepticon could see through the small scout, Bumblebee was sure of it. Surprisingly though, Megatron merely told him to stay close and turned around.

Megatron drew his sword quickly and lashed out, startling everyone as well as his hidden attacker. The human had stepped out of the shadows of the hallway, a shoulder cannon primed to fire, but the Decepticon leader's quick action averted the trigger from being pulled. He swiped out with his sword, the sharp edge slicing through the bone and separating the man's arm from his body.

He heard Bumblebee gasp behind him, but Megatron quickly silenced the screaming human before straightening. A glance at Bumblebee confirmed that if the scout had been human his face would have been very pale. Megatron watched at Bumblebee's eyes strayed from the body to the red that tainted the ex-gladiator's sword.

The warlord said nothing, mainly because there was no time to do so. The Cybertronians had come out of the hallway and were now standing in a large open area. Catwalks ran every which way above their heads and Megatron and the grounders had to quickly jump out of the way as the humans opened fire. The MECH soldiers were armed with shoulder cannons and laser rifles, the technology looking eerily similar to that of the Cybertronians, just made smaller, and they were spread out all along the catwalks.

"Fools," Megatron said, aiming at a catwalk's connection to the wall and firing his own cannon. The blast hit the connecting cables and one side of the catwalk fell, the humans crying out as they tumbled to the floor below.

The Vehicons took a page out of their leader's book and opened fire on the catwalks themselves, rather then trying to pick off the humans one-by-one. Only the lower catwalks had to be avoided when they fell, no one, not even Bumblebee, stepped forward to grab the humans as gravity claimed them. The _splat!_ of flesh hitting the concrete floor was sickening to the audios, the screams cut short when the MECH soldiers died on impact, most of them that is.

The humans who had been on the lower catwalks survived the fall. A few of them broke their legs or were stunned from hitting the concrete, but whatever their state was unimportant. Megatron rushed forward to scoop up the standing survivors and fling them against a wall, the snapping of their bones quite audible.

Bumblebee inhaled sharply, looking at the carnage around him. Megatron looked at him, his optics measuring and the scout realized something. This had been a test! Megatron had not attempted to shield him from the brutality of these humans' deaths, for the sole purpose of letting him see exactly what was needed in his quest for vengeance. Now that he realized what Megatron was doing, Bumblebee looked around with new optics, wondering, not for the first time, if he really was ready for this.

Megatron turned from Bumblebee, his processor troubled. All these humans they had run into had to mean that Orion and the other two Autobots had not come this way. At least he hoped that that was what it meant, and that there was not anything sinister in store for them.

"Megatron to Dreadwing, have you found Orion?"

"_Negative, my lord. Watch your flank! Behind you Sunbeam_!"

"_My name is Sunstreaker_! _Ah_!"

"What is your status Dreadwing?" Megatron asked.

"_We're currently pinned down by some of those robots you encountered at the last MECH base, only they seem to have had a few upgrades since then. I estimate we will get through soon though_."

"Very good. Keep me upraised of your situation."

"_Acknowledged, my lord_."

Megatron signaled the grounders to follow him and he turned to head for the exit. A laser shot brought everyone up short and they whipped around, weapons up and armed. The Decepticon leader looked at Bumblebee, in particular at the scout's powering down blaster.

"H-h-he was going to shoot you in the back," Bumblebee whispered, looking at the dead human that had a crater in his chest.

"Little scout," Megatron's endearment made Bumblebee turn around, his slightly shiny optics hesitantly looking into the Decepticon's own. "You saved me from injury, and there is nothing wrong with that."

Only after Bumblebee nodded did Megatron turn around to lead them into the next tunnel. Bumblebee stuck close behind the warlord, his processor focusing hard on the stern mech walking before him. He had killed his first human face-to-face without being under Silas' control. When Bumblebee had seen the human leveling his shoulder cannon at Megatron's back he had not thought at all, just simply reacted. Only after the soldier had fallen back had Bumblebee realized what he had done, and he had been shocked to find that he had felt no remorse.

He had not killed the MECH soldier out of animosity, merely the need to protect Megatron. And what was the Decepticon leader to him? His surrogate father? Neither of them had talked about the obvious bond that had silently formed between them, and Bumblebee was not sure how that conversation would go once they finally sat down to speak things out.

"What is this?" Megatron asked after a few minutes, as they came into another open area. What human had designed this lair? Picasso?

Orion, followed by Bulkhead and Arcee came into the same area from a different tunnel. A second of everyone pointing their weapons at each other quickly passed and Megatron stomped, eh, walked his way over to Orion, his jaw clenched tightly. This was not the place to lose his temper, Megatron knew that, but oh how he wanted drum Orion on the helm for this stunt.

Orion Prime opened his mouth to speak but Megatron stopped him, "I do not want to hear any excuses on why you so foolhardily went off on your own, we have more important things to think about right now. We need to regroup with Dreadwing's group and set about destroying this base and finding Silas. Now, if you're quite done doing unnecessary th—"

A yelp from behind made Megatron stop and turn around. A steel claw had latched onto Bumblebee's shoulder, the cable attached to it going taut and everyone watched in disbelief as the scout was jerked from his pedes and pulled backwards. Megatron was the first to move, jumping forward, his arm stretched out to its full length to reach for Bumblebee but it was not enough. A very thick metal door came down, separating Bumblebee from the rest of the Cybertronians and Megatron was unable to stop himself from smashing into it hard.

"No," Megatron stood up, placing his servo, fingers splayed out, on the door. "No!" Megatron pulled his servo back, digits curling in before he hit the metal obstruction with all his might. His punch had barely made a dent in the door, "NO!"

"Megatron!" Orion rushed forward, his servo catching his friend's arm as Megatron started punching the door with great ferocity. "Stop, this will do Bumblebee no good."

Megatron pulled out of Orion's grip with a growl of frustration. He looked at the metal door before slashing at it with his claws, making five slight scratch marks across the surface. Defeated, Megatron stepped back and placed his servo against the door, leaning against it.

"I am sorry," Orion said, his spark twisting with guilt. "This is all my fault."

Megatron sighed, "How is this your fault, Orion? He was snatched from behind me!"

"Yes, and if you had not been so focused on me you would not have been surprised by this. I have been a fool."

"You and me both," Megatron muttered. He glared at the door, finding himself wishing that he could know that Silas was not on the other side. "We must get to the other side quickly, Silas did not go through all this trouble to simply have tea with Bumblebee."

"What will you do to Silas when you get ahold of him?"

The question brought Megatron up short and he looked back at Orion. "That is why you went off on your own, isn't it? You wanted to get to him first. Why?"  
>"Shockwave betrayed Silas, you know this, so I thought that if Silas knew his partner had betrayed him then he might be willing to do likewise in return."<p>

"For what reason?" Megatron asked contemptuously. "Six months off for good behavior? You wanted to offer him a chance at redemption. Why? Why would you waste your time? Why must you always seek to redeem the unredeemable?"

Orion's optics glazed slightly with a sad expression that reflected more inward than at Megatron's words. "It is the only aspect of Orion Pax that the council were unable to keep from being accepted by the Prime. My belief that everyone deserves a chance for redemption is what kept Optimus from snuffing out your spark many times," Megatron's optics widened at this revelation. "I cannot simply ignore this belief of mine that everyone deserves a second, third and even a fourth chance. If this belief was strong enough to evade the council's recoding program then it is simply too important for me to simply brush aside in favor of killing everyone who makes a wrong choice. It is not me, it never has been. I did want to prove to you though that I am capable of handling myself, I did not think those weapons training programs you insisted I go through were enough to show you that I am as much as I was before."

Megatron could not help it, he tried to force it back but a choked laugh came out anyway. This situation had completely gotten out of his control, and that was one thing Megatron hated above everything else, losing control. Bumblebee had been captured, was probably being tortured at this moment or even having the slave code re-downloaded into his frame, and here he had a very insecure Orion who he had been too busy to see was still, subconsciously, struggling with two lines of memory files. A visit with Knockout was definitely in order once they were back on the _Nemesis_.

Megatron raised his servo to activate his com, "Little scout? Are you there?" His message was not answered, but then he had not really expected Bumblebee to have a servo free to answer him. "If you remember, failure to answer your com will result in a week of being restricted to no driving should you not have a reasonable explanation. I suggest, little scout, that you think of something very convincing." Switching channels, Megatron hailed Dreadwing. "Dreadwing, fall back to my position, I am in need of your cannon."

**Hug Vote:**

**Starscream - 5**

**Bumblebee – 10**

**Orion – 2**

**Soundwave – 2**

**Raf – 2**

**Miko – 2**

**mckeown – 2**

**Megatron – 1(Yes, a person was brave enough)**

**Favorite Character Vote:**

**Bumblebee – 1**

**Soundwave – 3**

**Knockout – 2**

**Blurr - 1**

**Faction vote:**

**Decepticons – 23**

**Autobots - 9**


	41. Bumblebee's Choice

**AN: Clarification on hug and favorite character voting, you can hug characters as many times as you want, and you can like more than one character. You can only vote once for faction vote unless you decide to defect to the other side, if that's the case then I hope you make before your old faction gets ahold of you.**

**Megatronfan: Welcome and thanks for the review and votes. **

**Purest of the Hearts: Hahaha!**

**Witch08: Yo, where you been?**

**FallenNietehre: Thanks for the votes.**

**64: You are so patient!**

**QuantumSheep: Wow, another long review, I had to log onto the site to finish reading it. Thanks. **

**RaphaelplusMikey: Thanks**

**Thunderweb: Here's his decision.**

**Stitchar: Hold off on the strangling a wee bit longer, and thanks for the hug. I won't change your mind.**

**Spacelady2012: Thanks for the votes**

**Answerthecall: I hope I can!**

**TransformersBeeFan: Yeah, it can be read like that; glad it's got you on the edge of your seat.**

**Chapter Summary: Bumblebee makes a choice**

{MECH base – Ney York}

Bumblebee was beyond shocked when the metal claw like hand had grabbed his shoulder and pulled him backward. He had tried to reach for Megatron, or at least stick his legs out for the warlord to grab but everything had just happened so fast. The metal door slamming down between them had seemed to also crush Bumblebee's spark, as well as cutting him off from the Decepticon's sight.

Once he could finally get ahold of the metal clamp Bumblebee tore it off with his free servo and was on his pedes in a second. He rushed to the thick slab of metal and banged against it, the air cycling rapidly through his air valves as he started to panic. _This is not good, this is not good, thisisnotgood_!

"Desist soldier!" The voice cut through Bumblebee's processor like the crack of a bullwhip. Bumblebee froze, his optics widening and his air valve hitched. Not now, not now when he was all alone, not now when Megatron could not help him.

"Welcome home, Stingray."

_No_! Bumblebee thought, his frame starting to shake. _This isn't real_! _It's a nightmare_! _It has to be a nightmare_!

"Turn around, Stingray," the voice wormed its way through his audios, coaxing him to obey. It was the same from his nightmares, a voice that was haughty, confident and with an undercurrent of darkness that could send shivers running down anyone's spine. "Turn around!"

Bumblebee wheeled around, priming his blasters as he did so. The room he was in had only center lights, casting the rest in shadow, but he could see the outlines of several men positioned throughout the area. There was no mistaking Silas; no matter where he was the human was always easily recognizable. He stood right now against a brightly lit screen that hung on the wall, the screen itself was blank, just a solid light blue that surrounded the black form of Silas.

"Now, now, Stingray, there's no need for hostilities, after all," Silas stepped into the light, "you're one of us."

"I'm nothing like you!" Bumblebee shouted.

"Now you speak," Silas said, "all the better I suppose. You're wrong, of course, you _are_ a soldier of MECH," Silas persisted, his voice reminding Bumblebee of the wolf in that cartoon he had watched with Raf awhile back. "I see you learned your lessons well. I am pleased that time spent among the sniveling Autobots and Decepticons did not erase everything that we had taught you."

"What are you talking about?" Bumblebee queried. _Keep him talking; stall him for as long as possible._

"Why this of course," Silas gestured to the screen and a security tape feed starting playing. Bumblebee watched as the screen showed the scene showed him firing on the MECH soldier who had started to aim at Megatron. "Shall we watch it again?" Bumblebee inhaled as the scene was put on a loop and kept replaying over and over again. "You see, Stingray? See how you shoot him down without thinking? When people get in your way you kill them. Remember that soldier back at the second base I sent you to? Remember the look on his face when you killed him? He was in your way and _you_ killed him. You'll do it again and again and again. Why? Because we're the same, Stingray, we are MECH. We are the ones who will be standing at the end of the day, not those weak-minded fools! You belong here, Stingray, and they know it."

"You're wrong!" Bumblebee said. "I'm not like you, I'm not a soldier of MECH! They will come for me!"

"Will they?" Silas smirked. "If they valued you then why did they permit you to come along? Surely they must have known of everything you did for me, and my interest in you. If they really had cared why did they not protect you?"

_Don't listen to him_! Bumblebee admonished himself. Megatron had wanted to send him away, only Bumblebee's stubborn nature had kept him from being sent back to the _Nemesis_. _Do you really think a big mech like Megatron could be made to change his mind? If he had wanted to protect you he would have sent you back immediately, no matter your protests_.

"_Little scout? Are you there_?" Bumblebee nearly jumped out of his frame when Megatron's voice sounded in his audios. It silenced the voice of doubt in his processor and he gratefully welcomed it like a breath of fresh air. Bumblebee did not dare raise his hand to answer the com though, Silas was no fool after all and any plan he had would be set into motion that much faster if he knew the scout was talking to others of his kind. "_If you remember, failure to answer your com will result in a week of being restricted to no driving should you not have a reasonable explanation. I suggest, little scout, that you think of something very convincing_."

Bumblebee smiled, the mere act reminding him that he had the capacity to do so because of Megatron. It was Megatron who had rescued him, who had merged with him and restored his control over his own frame. The Decepticon leader had even gone out of his way to give Bumblebee his voice back, something that Megatron had been under no obligation to do. Sadly the scout had needed a reminder of everything the warlord had done for him to realize that he was still insecure, still not quite an adult. Now Megatron was coming for him, he was going save him once again.

Bumblebee looked at Silas, the fear gone from his optics. The shackles that Silas had tried to latch onto him by bringing up the horrors from his last imprisonment fell away into nothingness. The scout felt a surge inside him, a need to thumb it to the human that he had no power here, a cockiness Bumblebee had not felt in a long time welled up and demanded to be released.

"Come along, Stingray," Silas said, "stop wasting time hesitating when the decision is so clear." He held out his hand, "What do you say Stingray?"

Bumblebee glared, "My name is Bumblebee and I'm not going anywhere with you."

Silas chuckled, "What makes you think that you stop me?"

A quick cycle through Bumblebee's favorite songs quickly provided an appropriate comeback. "**Cause we'll put a boot in your***—"

"Fire!" Silas shouted.

The MECH soldiers who had been standing silently on the sides all leveled spear like guns at Bumblebee and pulled the triggers. Bumblebee did his best to dodge and bat the metal spears that came his way but there was nowhere to turn without putting himself into the path of more incoming projectiles. When the spear points punched through his armor Bumblebee noticed the long cables connecting to the metal shafts, he stumbled back from the impact and nearly toppled over. The spears were in his arms, legs and sides, the cable lines being pulled taut so that he could barely move a ped in either direction.

"Last chance, Stingray, come along quietly."

Bumblebee looked at Silas incredulously, what would it take to get through this numbskull's head? "**A natural loser, take it from me****!"

The Cybertronian had thought it impossible for Silas' face to get any uglier but there was the proof right before him. A dark thundercloud seemed to engulf Silas' face, his eyes angrier than a stormy sea and he looked at Bumblebee with such hatred that the scout briefly wondered if taunting him had been the best course of action. A hand motion from the head of MECH had Bumblebee screaming as high voltages of electricity ran down the cables and into his frame.

Bumblebee fell to his knees as he howled, using the action to bring his servos to his helm and hit his com button. He could not exactly function clearly enough to select the receiver so he just hoped that the call went to Megatron or someone else who was on the other side of the door.

"_Bumblebee_!" The scout knew the pain must have been getting to him to think that there was actually a note of panic in the Decepticon leader's voice. Warlords do not panic, especially not Megatron. "_What is happening_?"

"Such a pity," Silas said, letting the current die and watching Bumblebee's twitching frame on the floor. "I suppose I have no other choice but to download the slave code into you again."

"You will not take me!" Bumblebee shouted, as much an act of defiance to Silas as it was a roundabout way in answering Megatron's question without letting MECH know what was happening right under their noses.

"Who will stop me?" Silas asked. "Optimus Prime?" he mocked. "I watched him blunder his way through here, he must have sustained some kind of head damage the way he paused from time to time and went in circles. To see the mighty brought so low," Silas smiled, "it really warms my heart." He looked reflective for a moment, "Now Megatron, there's a strong individual, or he was until I saw him working with the Autobots. And to think that I had had ideas about joining him."

"_Keep him talking, little scout, we're on our way_."

Bumblebee grunted, not only to acknowledge Megatron's order but also because the cables starting reeling him in, his knees and hands scraping against the metal floor. "Why are you doing this?" Bumblebee asked, hoping that the movies did not lie and bad guys really did like to monologue.

"It's simple, Stingray," Silas said, walking along the platform he was on. "The human race will never amount to anything in this universe with a species such as yourself around. You are bigger, older and have a greater arsenal that no country on Earth could ever come close to coming to on their own. We haven't even managed to put a man on Mars yet! We're behind everyone else in the universe. If there are beings such as you then there are other species that will care nothing about taking what they want from our planet!"

"We haven't done anything to your kind!" Bumblebee argued.

"You brought your war here didn't you? Would you have managed to live in secret amongst us if we had been a universal power such as yourselves? We cannot survive if we remain such flimsy, small organic life forms. Our only option is to become like you, to limit our weaknesses and expand our lifecycles by taking on your likenesses. Sadly only a handful of humans will survive the process, those that are strong enough will become the future of our people, the other, less fortunate, will have given their lives for humanity to achieve greatness. This will be our new world order but it could not have come to fruition so quickly without the help of a transformer to gave us everything we needed to build our own exo-suits. Soon we will be able to fight your people on an equal footing."

A muffled explosion sounded against the door and hope sprang in Bumblebee's optics. "Hmm, it appears we have outstayed our welcome, soldiers. Call our friend and request a portal."

Bumblebee watched as a soldier went to a computer. He could not allow them to pull him through a ground bridge!

"Sir, I'm not receiving an answer."

When Silas turned to look at the soldier Bumblebee seized his chance. He quickly grabbed at the nearest spears and pulled them out as he jumped to his feet, a surge of electricity from the remaining cables caused him to fall to his knees again with a cry but he managed to prime his blasters and fire at the ceiling. Debris rained down on the humans, hitting some of those who were charging the electricity into him. His pain lessened, Bumblebee tore at the remaining spears while sending a few more blaster shots at the ceiling to keep the humans busy.

There was now a large indentation in the door and the explosions from the other room were getting louder. Bumblebee backed up from the door but kept his blasters charged at where the humans had been. He could not see Silas but the screen was sparking, casting eerie light flashes across the room.

When the door finally exploded Bumblebee breathed a sigh of relief. He watched the many Cybertronian hands that came through the opening to tear it wider. Megatron was the first through, his cannon fully charged and an angry expression on his faceplate that would have anyone smart enough running in the opposite direction. "Little scout?"

"I'm here," Bumblebee said, stepping out from his corner and immediately going to Megatron's side.

Megatron looked down at him, "If you ever leave my side again…" He left the sentence unfinished and Bumblebee nodded. "Now," Megatron's red optics looked about the room, "where is that sorry excuse for an intelligent life form?"

"Silas was over there," Bumblebee pointed to the rock covered platform and Megatron's optics narrowed. The small scout looked behind and saw Dreadwing and Orion Prime come through the wrecked door, several Vehicons looking curiously in after them.

Megatron walked over to the platform and started sifting through the debris with one hand while keeping his cannon up and ready. He gave a humorless chuckle after five minutes of searching and stepped back, signaling Bumblebee to come closer. The youngling stepped forward, coming to Megatron's side and looking down at what the Decepticon leader had discovered.

Silas lay amongst the broken rocks, specks of blood marking his lips and the corner of his mouth. His lower half was pinned under the debris, his gun out of his reach and he looked up at the towering mechs above him with undiminished hatred. He spat out some blood from his mouth, swallowing briefly before looking Megatron in the eye.

"Go ahead and kill me. You think that will stop MECH? Someone else will take my place, a little study of Earth history will show you that there will always be someone to pick up the pieces."

"Megatron," interjected Orion, "ask him please."

Megatron did not look back at Orion but he did measure Silas. "You have been betrayed, Silas. Your ally used you to deliver us a message and did not mind that we attacked you as a result. Will you name his location?"

Silas stared at him, his eyes calculating. "If you want Shockwave then look where you would not go."

"Silas—" Orion started forward but Megatron raised a hand to stop him.

"He had made his choice, let that be an end to it."

"So now you will execute him?" Orion asked, his voice sounding younger and less certain but Megatron paid this change no heed.

"His fate is not for me to decide." Megatron took a step back and looked at Bumblebee, "This is why you wanted to come, little scout, and here is your chance end the nightmares. No more fear, no more hiding from the shadows, it can all end right here." Megatron's optics stared at the scout while he circled the smaller mech, "Remember what he did to you, the people who died because of his mad schemes. His life is in your servos now, Bumblebee, as yours was in his not too long ago. Will you make him pay for the suffering you endured? Or will you make his ending quick and painless?'

Bumblebee stared at Megatron and then looked down at Silas. The human sneered at him, his visage hardening with his hatred. Bumblebee could see nothing but loathing from the man, no remorse or contrition for the pain he had caused the small scout.

He could not believe that Megatron had left this decision completely up to him! What did the warlord want him to do? What choice would he approve of? Bumblebee's fans kicked in, bringing a relief of cool air to help clear his heated circuitry and allow him to think.

Time passed and no one moved. All optics or eyes glued to the yellow and black mech who looked anything but sure of what he was going to do.

"You know the truth, Stingray," Silas whispered, "we both know what you are."

Bumblebee stepped forward, priming his blasters as his door wings straightened. He brought his weapon up to bear, pointing at blank range into the face of Silas.

**Hug Vote:**

**Bumblebee – 17**

**Starscream – 9**

**Megatron - 5**

**Miko – 4**

**Soundwave – 4**

**Orion – 3**

**Raf – 3**

**mckeown – 3**

**Favorite character vote:**

**Bumblebee – 6**

**Soundwave - 5**

**Knockout - 4**

**Blurr - 2**

**Megatron - 2**

**Faction vote:**

**Decepticons – 24**

**Autobots - 10**


	42. A Space Battle part 1

**Megatronfan: That's ok, I understood what you were saying. **

**64: I know it's hard, and here's your reward.**

**Emajade32439: Welcome and thanks for the review! It's ok, you can like Wheeljack, he's not a villain. **

**Whitebengal14: Don't know if you're still following this but I checked in with Mlle Musketeer and everything is ok, thanks for your concern.**

**Rhiannon Tien: Welcome and thanks for the review! You can be for both sides if you want.**

**Chapter Summary: A **_**Nemesis**_** peril, and Soundwave meets an enemy.**

{_Nemesis_ – Bridge}

Soundwave had been busy monitoring all angles of the battle in New York. Taking note of casualties and opening up ground bridges that hopefully got the injured to the medical bay in time. He was not too sure if Blurr would make it, chest wounds were usually a fifty-fifty chance of survival, depending on how close the wound was to the spark chamber.

The revelation that the discovered base was not Shockwave's had not been all that surprising to Soundwave. Having spent more than a hundred years as a slave to the crazed scientist, the Decepticon communications officer was the resident expert on everything pertaining to the character of Shockwave and so carelessly giving away the location of his base was not one of the Tarnian's flaws. Soundwave had not been prepared though for the base to be MECH's, for Shockwave to throw away a willing ally at this point did not bode well with what the scientist could possibly be planning.

_What is your plan, Shockwave_? Soundwave thought, using one data cable to search the Earth for any displacements. _Who will you hurt now_? _Where will you send Lockdown next_?

Bumblebee had told Soundwave about Lockdown showing up at the old MECH base, though at the time the scout had not known who the big mech had been. Soundwave knew of Lockdown's personality from those Decepticons who had dealt with the bounty hunter but he had never met Lockdown in person, if he had the mercenary would not have survived the meeting. Because of the war, Soundwave had never had the chance to hunt down Lockdown for what the bounty hunter had done to Sparknight, the oath the communications officer had sworn to Megatron had kept him from seeking vengeance.

_"I do not want to call you Soundwave," Sparknight said. "It is the name that he gave you. You are not the monster that Shockwave tried to make you. You had a name before this, why do you not go by it?"_

_ He looked at her; noting her sleek lines and still feeling a thread of disbelief in his processor that such a fine seeker femme was paying attention to him. Most of the Decepticons tended to give Soundwave a wide berth, too fearful of his telepathic abilities to allow themselves to get to know him. Megatron was Soundwave's sole protector, as long as he had Megatron's approval the communications officer knew no Decepticon would attack him. The femmes especially steered away from him, looking disgusted or pitying, both of which made him feel worse about himself. _

_ Then he had met Sparknight and his life had changed. He had known her before the war, back when there had been more time to live their lives without having to look over their shoulders for fear of running across someone from a different faction. Back then Sparknight had been a courier for a topnotch organization that had employed her services to run messages back and forth between the branches of the company. These messages had carried sensitive information that the heads of the organization did not want rival companies to obtain, which made it necessary to have a courier deliver them so as to limit interceptions. _

_ Soundwave had been going to ask her to spark-merge with him when the war had broken out, destroying not only the city of Kaon but also their relationship in the process. Soundwave had enlisted into the Autobot ranks feeling a sense of pride to be answering the council's pleas for serviceable mechs and femmes to uphold their way of life. He had returned to his apartment to find a farewell note from Sparknight, stating her intentions on joining the Decepticon cause. He had not seen her since, not until a couple years after Megatron had freed him from Shockwave's rule. _

_ Sparknight grasped his helm, knowing he was looking at her even though his visor was in place. "Your frame may have been changed, but your spark has not. If it had I would not mean anything to you. You are still Blaster, you are just no longer an Autobot."_

_He raised his fingers to brush against her helm, glad that his visor hid the sadness in his optics from her sight. 'Blaster was a naïve grounder who would ask how high if told to jump. I am no longer naïve, Sparknight, I was thrust onto the harsher side of life without any preparation and forced to do many things that I have not even told you. Blaster is dead; he died on Shockwave's dissection table with no honor to claim in his passing. Soundwave is who I am; I have taken Shockwave's curse and made it a part of me. He does not haunt me any longer, not now that I have you to chase away the dark memories.'_

_She smiled, albeit rather sadly, "Blaster is not dead." She placed a servo over his spark case, "He is merely another part of you."_

Soundwave looked at a terminal when a frantic beeping started up. Close range spacebridge activity! Soundwave investigated the location and found that there were two spacebridges opened up in proximity to the _Nemesis_, directly off the starboard side to be exact. Not panicking, Soundwave raised the shields and alerted the Vehicons on the bridge for battle stations.

Bringing up the schematics of the _Nemesis_, Soundwave activated the ship's gun turrets but quickly grabbed his terminal to support himself as the deck shuddered beneath him. A flash of red showed along the shield where the spacebridges had opened up, indicating that the shields had been hit with enough force to rock the ship. Before Soundwave could act, the attack was in full swing, incoming missiles hitting the shields in rapid succession.

Soundwave put the shields on a changing frequency, knowing they would manage to hold longer during this onslaught on a different intensity. He locked down the level that had the medical bay, sealing off the injured should the ship be boarded. Megatron had already had several defensive algorithms in place to assist in evacuating the medical bay should the ship ever be overrun, but Soundwave held off in activating these just yet.

Shockwave would not have launched this attack unless he was sure his forces would win. While _Nemesis_ was no stranger to fighting, and had survived countless battles, she had not faced many encounters alone. Especially against such a ruthless adversary like Shockwave. While Soundwave was not ready to abandon ship just yet, he did have the evacuation protocols ready for activation. It never hurt to be prepared after all.

Evacuating looked more and more appealing when a third spacebridge opened up directly next to the engines. Now the _Nemesis_ was being assaulted at three areas, the most vulnerable being the engine area. Soundwave directed the Vehicons to fire the laser turrets into the spacebridges, hoping to take out some of the incoming missiles and get through to where they were being launched.

Once he was sure that the Vehicons were handling their duties, Soundwave grasped the helm controls and turned the ship. It was straining to focus on where he was piloting while keeping tabs on the Vehicons, and collecting data on the spacebridges as well as the power levels of the shields. Another bridge officer would have made this much easier, but sadly Dreadwing had gone down with Megatron to New York, Knockout was servo deep in surgery and Starscream was in no condition for a command post.

The _Nemesis_ turned, Soundwave firing up the engines to move them faster. A spacebridge opened right ahead of him and three missiles came inbound for the bow of the ship. Soundwave quickly turned the ship again, the missiles impacting against the shields of the starboard side of the _Nemesis_. Soundwave watched the shields fluctuate and he steadied the ship, only to enact evasive maneuvers again when another spacebridge opened up in front of the _Nemesis_ again.

No matter where he turned the spacebridges would open or collapse around him. While one spacebridge kept appearing in front of him, forcing him to change direction, another spacebridge kept a steady stream of fire on the back of the ship. Soundwave rerouted power from everything that he could in order to reinforce the shields, only the medical level was unaffected by his changes. That level was on its own power grid, for which Soundwave was more than thankful for as that meant it could not be hacked into from an outside force and even if the ship was power the injured on life support would still survive.

"_Soundwave_!" Knockout's frantic voice came over the intercom. "_What is happening? Who is attacking us? Can you ground bridge Megatron up here_?"

Soundwave could not spare the energy to transport anyone up, and their leader's signal had gone below ground and was slightly scrambled. The inhabitants of the _Nemesis_ were on their own. Soundwave sent a message answering Knockout's questions and 'asking' not to be interrupted again.

It was inevitable, Soundwave knew it, but his spark still clenched when the shields failed. Two missiles impacted with the engines, rocking the ship forward. A quick check showed that the _Nemesis_ was 'dead in the water', her engines destroyed beyond a quick-fix.

Soundwave had a split second to realize that the spacebridges had closed and no more missiles were coming through. A split second to know what was coming. Soundwave quickly activated the intruder alarm and internal defense systems, warning everyone to be ready and sending two squads of Vehicons to protect the 'heart' of the _Nemesis_.

The communications officer transformed his servos into his blaster and whipped around, firing on the ground bridge that had opened on the bridge before anyone could come through. It was Soundwave's intoned awareness with the ship's sensors that saved his life, that warned him to jump to the side to avoid being shot in the back. Tucking his wings in, Soundwave rolled to the side and evaded more laser shots that dogged his escape.

Falling down from the walkway, Soundwave crouched and brought up his blasters to open fire but stopped.

Lockdown was grinning down at him from the walkway. Soundwave felt his spark harden at the sight, his enemy was here, right in front, delivered to his door like a package from FedEx. This was his chance, to make the bounty hunter pay for Sparknight's death, to avenge Miko's parental units, and stop the mech from destroying anyone else's happiness.

"The great Soundwave," Lockdown said, a sickening glimmer of delight in his yellow optics. "I've waited for this day, speechless one. Ever since she screamed your name before I ripped out her spark I've wondered what it would be like meeting you." Lockdown chuckled, jumping down to the ground level of the bridge, landing a few feet from Soundwave. "It is said that you have no emotions, that you care for nothing but your listening posts and informing on the wrongdoings of others. Yet if that were true," Soundwave straightened as Lockdown started to circle him, the seeker's sensors on the lookout for an ambush, "she would not have called out to you for aid." Lockdown's grin twisted into a sickening smile of triumph, "She meant something to you, you held her close to your spark. What was her name again? Lunarlight? Stargaze? Oh, that's right," Lockdown's grin turned mocking, "Sparknight. What a treat she was. I've killed thousands since her but I still remember her quite vividly. I suppose you recorded her death, playing it over and over again before you recharge, remembering the way she screamed for you to come and you did not. How did that make you feel, Soundwave? So powerless to save her. You've been waiting for this moment, haven't you? Waiting to make me pay for her pain."

Soundwave had been waiting for this moment, the key word being 'waiting'. Waiting required patience, and he had developed an almost infinite amount of patience in waiting for Lockdown. Soundwave was no novice to what Lockdown was doing, if Sparknight had died yesterday the bounty hunter might have succeeded in making the communications officer angry enough to attack blindly but not now. For over seven hundred years Soundwave had been waiting to fight Lockdown, to make him pay, now that the moment was here there was no way he would rush his way through it.

Lockdown wanted to make him angry, too angry to think. Why? The answer was simple: because Lockdown knew Soundwave would be a formidable opponent. The silent seeker was not going to go down without taking Lockdown with him, and the bounty hunter knew it. If Lockdown could tip the fight more in his favor, say by making Soundwave too angry to focus, then so much the better.

_Don't ignore a trap_, Soundwave thought with a devilish mental grin._ Spring it_.

Soundwave brought up his blasters and opened fire, running forward as he did so. Lockdown looked triumphant as he dodged the blaster shots or let them impact against his heavier armored back and shoulder plates. The bridge Vehicons stepped forward, but an order from Soundwave had them securing their posts and directing their fellow drone members to the areas where other intruders had come aboard the ship. No one was going to interrupt this fight.

Moving in closer Soundwave lowered the upper part of his frame so he could lash out with a ped at Lockdown's shoulder, knocking the heavier framed mech back a step. Soundwave righted his position and exchanged his blasters for his short blades, a feature not many knew he had.

"My, my," Lockdown said, as he turned to face him, "those are new. Did you get them after you left Shockwave's tender care?"

Another comment meant to infuriate him and Soundwave made sure his wings were folded in before he rushed forward, swinging at Lockdown with his blades. The bounty hunter let the sharp edges scrape against his plating before slamming a punch into Soundwave that sent the seeker staggering back.

Soundwave continued to give up ground as Lockdown moved in, making it look like the bounty hunter's greater strength was getting the better of him. While Lockdown managed to land quite a few blows on the slighter framed seeker, Soundwave calculated each of the mercenary's swings so as to distance himself slightly from the impact. The result was that he was not as injured as he led Lockdown to believe, and when Soundwave felt he had taken enough 'punishment' he let his frame stumble to the floor, one servo pressed to his side as if it hurt terribly.

Lockdown leered down at him, "You fool. The great Soundwave, who has inspired fear in even his own faction, brought low by having a soft spark. How pathetic can you get?"

Soundwave looked up, his concealed red optics glowing with mirth. On his visor appeared a drawing of Lockdown and Soundwave swooped in to decapitate the bounty hunter.

"Wha—"

Soundwave moved, using every bit of power in his legs to come up with an astounding speed. He caught Lockdown off-guard, slicing at the bounty hunter's frame with his blades, driving them to leave deep marks before he flipped to the side of Lockdown and unfolded his wings. From the angle Soundwave was at, his wing tip came up to the underside of Lockdown's arm, where the joint met the shoulder, and stabbed upward, slicing through the plating and into the wiring underneath.

Lockdown cried out in pain, jerking away and energon flowed down his side. Soundwave did not give the bounty hunter time to recover; he went in fast after the retreating Lockdown. Flaring out his wings and tipping them, Soundwave spun and slashed at Lockdown with both his blades and wings, leaving scratches and deep marks all over the bounty hunter.

Lockdown finally managed to turn his back, catching the slicing edge of a wing down his back, before he turned back around and latched onto Soundwave's wings. He hauled Soundwave backwards, digging his servos into the seeker's wings and pulling. He was unprepared for the stinging pain in the palm of his servos, the lines of energon that flowed from around his fingers and down the wings. He tried to dig his fingertips into Soundwave's wings, tried to wrench them apart as he had Starscream's but the metal of the communication officer's wings was unbending.

"What is this? Why aren't your wings sensitive?!" Lockdown shouted, ignoring the pain in his servos as he jerked Soundwave around by his wings.

Soundwave mentally smirked before retracting his wings, their edges slicing sharply against Lockdown's palms and making the bounty hunter grunt in pain. Wings firmly folded in behind him, Soundwave turned and grabbed hold of Lockdown's helm, bringing it down swiftly to meet his upcoming knee. He dearly wanted to break through the bounty hunter's processor with his telepathy but knew that Shockwave would most likely have anticipated that attack and armed Lockdown appropriately, the mercenary was too valuable a chess piece to be thrown aside this early in the game.

The hit to the faceplate smashed in Lockdown's cheek and he angrily lowered his visor. Twisting out of the seeker's grasp, Lockdown punched out at Soundwave. "If I can't clip your wings then I'll rip out your spark like I did your precious Sparknight's!"

Soundwave was done playing; this fight had gone on long enough. He tackled Lockdown to the floor, pinning the bounty hunter down with his servos and peds while his data cables came out from their compartments on his sides. He used two of them to aid in restraining Lockdown while one went for the bounty hunter's spark chamber and the other went for the mercenary's medical port at the back of the black neck. Before he ended Lockdown, Soundwave might as well learn what he can about Shockwave's moves and possibly the location of his base.

Immediately after his data cable connected in the medical port Lockdown made his move. His helm began to transform into his cannon, the long barrel emerging and preparing to fire at point black range into Soundwave's faceplate. The communications officer did not have time to process this as a force rammed into him and Soundwave fell off to the side.

He turned his helm as he fell, looking in disbelief at the Vehicon who had taken his place. For the first time in his long life Soundwave felt regret for a Vehicon's death, even though he had been put in charge of the freed drones by Megatron the only Vehicons with whom he had the most contact were the ones who worked on the bridge and never had any of them showed this level of loyalty to him before. The Vehicons mainly looked after each other, having trust issues with anyone who was not a drone like them, but this…!

Soundwave felt pain in his spark as the canon fired, its blast blinding him for a microsecond. The Vehicon was lucky, if you could call it that, instead of his helm being directly over the cannon the Vehicon's lower chest ended up in Lockdown's sight. The shot blasted through the Vehicon's frame, blowing a hole large enough for even Orion Prime to put his arm through.

The outrage among the Vehicons was instantaneous. They surged forward, some going to assist their fallen comrade and others reaching to rip Lockdown apart. The bounty hunter laughed at their attempts, jumping up and batting them away like pesky flies.

Soundwave found his pedes and got up; trying to get to Lockdown but the Vehicons unwittingly hindered him.

Lockdown turned and ran, activating his com, "Shockwave, I'm ready for phase two."

The green swirl of a ground bridge opened up and Lockdown disappeared into it.

**Hug Vote:**

**Bumblebee – 21**

**Starscream – 12**

**Megatron – 7**

**Miko – 6**

**Soundwave – 6**

**Raf – 4**

**Orion – 3**

**Mckeown – 3**

**Roberto Esquivel(Raf's dad) - 1**

**Favorite character vote:**

**Bumblebee – 9**

**Megatron – 7**

**Soundwave – 5**

**Knockout – 4**

**Blurr – 2**

**Arcee – 1**

**Wheeljack – 1**

**Starscream – 1**

**Orion Prime – 1**

**Silas - 1**

**Faction vote:**

**Decepticons – 24**

**Autobots - 11**


	43. A Space Battle part 2

**AN: …Anyone still remember me? Sorry for the long wait, I rewrote this chapter three times and then it took awhile to get a long word count because of course this chapter had to be long to reward you guys for waiting so long. Almost 100 favorites! You guys are great!**

**Miss Anonymous: Thanks for the review. Phase two coming up. **

**64: you still there buddy?**

**NextNothingNew: Welcome and thanks for the review! Hope you get that paper written in time. **

**Chapter summary: A knight is sacrificed and Shockwave beaches a queen.**

{_Nemesis_ – Bridge}

Soundwave stared at where the ground bridge had closed, whisking away Lockdown to some other location. The communications officer did not bother getting frustrated on his quarry escaping, there was no time to waste on such a useless action. Instead, Soundwave's processor turned to wondering about Shockwave's 'phase two' that Lockdown had alluded to before leaving. Where was Shockwave sending Lockdown now?

Soundwave glanced back at the Vehicon who sacrificed his life for him. The other bridge Vehicons were gathered around their fallen comrade, two holding the lifeless frame while the others links servos. There was something familiar about the Vehicon, Soundwave's optics found the band around the drone's wrist and winced. Haru, as Miko had named him, was dead but there was no time to properly see to the Vehicon's remains as the ship's internal alarms sounded once more.

Two ground bridges opened, one just outside the medical bay and the other outside the central core of the ship. Soundwave froze, his optics widening in as he realized what 'phase two' was. Go after the two weakest but most vital parts of the ship. Divide the defensive line until it is too stretched to be of use. Remove the high ground from your opponent.

Shockwave was taunting his former slave, allowing him to come so close to avenging Sparknight before yanking back his knight piece at the last second. Lockdown was used to distract Soundwave, to let him get a taste of vengeance before being spirited away, much like a carrot the humans dangle in front of stubborn horses in order to get the animals to move.

The communications officer watched the video feed from the medical level and his spark clenched. Lockdown had stepped out of the ground bridge and was battling his way through the ship's defenses leading to the medical bay. Soundwave wanted to do nothing else but abandon his post and go after Lockdown, to finish what he had started but he realizes, in a stunning moment of clarity, that is exactly what Shockwave wants.

The scientist's whole plan rests on Soundwave going after Lockdown, and leaving the ship vulnerable to another attack. With the communications officer so focused on his enemy the _Nemesis_ could be destroyed with her entire crew trapped on board. Would Shockwave sacrifice his knight and whatever else this other piece was simply to take a queen? Yes, Soundwave rationalized, yes he would.

No matter how much Soundwave wanted to go after Lockdown, he could not afford too. There were too many lives depending on him, trusting in him, counting on him to warn them of danger.

Soundwave activated the security feed from the central core level. He did not recognize the machine monstrosity smashing its way through the internal ship's defenses, but he knew without a doubt that it was the bigger threat of the two invaders. However, he could not abandon those in the medical bay to face Lockdown on their own. The only fighters with any real skill in the medical bay were most likely too injured to provide any means of defense against Lockdown, meaning the bounty hunter would slaughter the medical personnel and wounded the moment he was through the doors. Would Starscream be among the casualties? Or would Shockwave want Lockdown to haul the once proud aerial commander back to the scientist's lair?

The communications officer could not pause to consider what further plans Shockwave might have for Starscream. A decision lay before him, one he had never been in the position to make and it slightly scared him. Soundwave had never been in command during a crisis such as this, and sadly he did not have the time to ponder if the choice he had to make was the right one.

Megatron's third-in-command briefly shuttered his optics as he activated the evacuation protocols.

{_Nemesis_ – Medical Bay}

Knockout felt his spark freeze when the evacuation alarm sounded. He had spent the better half of two hours fighting to save lives, and if that were not enough the ship had fallen under attack, a thing that had not happened for about fifty years now. The Autobot break-ins hardly counted as an attack after all.

They had to leave the _Nemesis_, which meant that they were being overrun or the ship was too badly damaged to sustain them. The _Nemesis_ had become more than a place to carry them across space, it had served as a home for the Decepticons when Cybertron had lost power, providing a safe haven where they could return to heal their wounds or relax from the stress of the war. Now their home had fallen, Knockout's home had fallen, they had to abandon her or die.

"Everyone who can stand," Knockout kept his voice professional, keeping himself calm as the others panicked around him, "start assisting those too injured to the ground bridge nexus. Move it!"

The Vehicons who had been assisting tending the injured moved to obey, grabbing their wounded comrades and helping them stand. Knockout ordered one Vehicon to transform and had the human children enter the drone, moving the unconscious Miko to be supported by Jack and Raf. He looked around for Mrs. Darby and realized that she must have been in one of the isolation chambers with Blurr.

"My mom!" Jack yelled, when the Vehicon had closed his door.

"She'll be right behind you, Jack," Knockout assured, patting the Vehicon on the roof. "Get out of here."

Knockout sent a ping to Soundwave, asking how much time they had but the communications officer's reply was not reassuring. 'Unknown'. What did that mean? Could the ship blow up at any moment?

"Ratchet, you're taking Starscream." The Autobot medic opened his mouth but Knockout cut him off, "We don't have time for you to argue, just do as I say."

"I wasn't going to argue," Ratchet said, somewhat tiredly. "I was just going to ask you about Blurr. Will you take care of him?"

Knockout felt a rush of anger but quickly stamped it down. Before the protocol had been taken out, he knew Ratchet would have had no qualms but he was hurt that the Autobot medic still thought the Decepticon would have no problem. Knockout nodded his helm at Ratchet, not saying anything for there was, quite frankly, nothing to say.

Going to the isolation room, Knockout could see Starscream watching the proceedings with fear shining in his dimmed red optics. Reaching forward to hit the release button for the door, both medics froze when they heard weapons fire coming from the other side of the main medical bay door. Both Ratchet's and Knockout's optics widened as they realized what time they had thought was on their side was now gone.

{_Nemesis_ – Central core level}

Soundwave's initial thought that the monstrous intruder was hideous was further cemented when the communications officer actually saw the machine in person. Although it was composed mainly from Cybertronian metals, the frame was merely robotic, not holding a spark or consciousness. There were organic metals mixed in as well, leading Soundwave to assume that the project had been unfinished when Shockwave had left Cybertron and so had been forced to use other means in order to complete it. If you could call the grotesque mishmash of metal a complete project.

The machine had two long arms, which were using rotating blades to attack the door barring the way to the central core room. The door, a foot thick of hard Cybertronian metal, already had a sizable chunk missing out of its middle and the machine showed no signs of tiring from its onslaught. The 'head' of the machine swiveled around quickly, no doubt its sensors picking up his approaching signature.

Immediately, two 'arms' turned and transformed into cannons, firing upon Soundwave in a second. The Decepticon communications officer jumped to the side to avoid the shots and returned with some fire of his own. He went with his heavier weapons, knowing that even those would need to find a chink in the metal somewhere to do any damage. His calculations proved correct as most of his shots proved ineffective, only one managing to hit between two sections of plating and cause some minor damage.

_Well that just won't do_, Soundwave thought. His sensors were running at maximum, scanning the hideous monstrosity that Shockwave had invented and searching for a weakness. Everything had a weak point, Soundwave knew this and he also knew that Shockwave would not have built this thing without having a few security measures in place to make sure that the robot never turned against the one that had made it. Yes, Soundwave knew Shockwave, after all, when Megatron had freed the telepath all those years ago it had been a decoder's nightmare shifting through all of the scientist's binding coding that had made Soundwave unable to ever rebel.

Soundwave flattened himself against the floor as a missile shot over his head. He quickly rolled to the side to avoid the next two shots but when Soundwave came up he was unable to fully sidestep the cutting laser that came right at him. Pain flared through his wires as his side was grazed by the laser, a red hot line appearing across his plating, deep enough to be felt by the tender wiring beneath.

There was no time to properly inspect the injury, the machine was still continuing its assault on the door even though one 'arm' was beginning to open fire on Soundwave again. All the telepath could do was manually disconnect the wiring in that section, small as it was, to better block out the pain and stem any energon leakage in the process. Soundwave knew he had to draw the machine away from the central core, but he doubted Shockwave would make the task easy.

The robot was single-minded in its pursuit. Half of the machine was attacking the door with great ferocity and the other half was keeping Soundwave pinned down. The third-in-command needed a plan, someway to make the machine abandon its assault on the door and be lead to a larger space for fighting.

In the hallway, Soundwave had no room to use his wings as an advantage, which was very frustrating for the seeker. Inching his way forward, Soundwave dodged the attacks sent his way while he replied with his own shots. His tracking devices scoped out weak spots, doing his best to hit them with his lasers, although even that was barely making a dent in the monstrosity. Shockwave had certainly known what he was doing when he made this thing; there was no doubt about that.

For every one of Soundwave's moves, the machine adapted and redoubled its attack. The rate with which the machine could attack both the door and Soundwave was, the telepath grudgingly admitted, remarkable. When the machine started calculating his next moves Soundwave knew he was in trouble, and he was right.

Just as Soundwave had changed position yet again, doubling back in an effort to throw the machine off, white-hot pain bore into his chest, narrowly missing his spark chamber. Soundwave stumbled back, his sensors registering what he looked down to confirm with his own optics. A sizzling hole was in his chest, from which someone could look through and see clearly the mess of cut wirings and the adjoining hole through his plating in the back.

Soundwave fell, the pain flaring across his wiring and momentarily blacking out his processor. His spark chamber thrummed with a dull ache, and energon poured freely down the front of his chest plates and his back. Soundwave's metal frame scraped painfully against the floor as it fell, landing with a residual clang that echoed up and down the hallway.

The threat neutralized, the machine turned to resume its assault on the door.

{_Nemesis_- Medical Bay}

Starscream was unapproachable when the medics opened the door to his room. He was half crazed with fright, panicking and yelling that he was not going back. Knockout and Ratchet were exceedingly glad that they had had the foresight to deactivate the seeker's weapons and lock down his wings, it certainly made drawing him out into the main room of the medical bay a lot easier.

In the end they had to bind Starscream's servos together so that Ratchet could pull him towards the ground bridge. The seeker went kicking and screaming, up to the point when Knockout shouted that Lockdown was just outside the medical bay trying to get in. The transformation was immediate, and one Knockout regretted bringing about. The look of terror in Starscream's optics was like nothing the Decepticon medic had ever seen before, not even Lord Megatron had been able to instill such a level of fear in the former second-in-command and Knockout did not have to guess what kind of damage Starscream had been made to suffer in order for even the mention of Lockdown's name to cause such a fright.

"You can't stop him," Starscream hissed, his red optics wide and his frame shaking. "No one can deter the bounty hunter from his prey, he always succeeds in nabbing his quarry!"

"Well today he'll fail," Racthet said, propelling the reluctant Starscream through the ground bridge and Knockout sighed in relief once the pair disappeared.

The defenses were crumbling on the other side of the door, Knockout could tell from the slow decrease of the ship's lasers and the increasing din of Lockdown's assault. He did not have much time, and most of the patients were already clear of the ship, it was the more critical ones who were taking longer to move. The Decepticon medic checked on the removal of some of the patients before he turned to the room where Blurr had been moved.

The battered frame of the young Autobot warrior was hooked up to life support, his scraped blue paint drawing a wince from Knockout. The medic steadied himself as he walked up next to the injured mech, belatedly realizing that there was something missing from the room. "Where is Mrs. Darby?"

Blurr's optic shutters opened, regarding him through pain filled optics. "She…left some…time ago. Said…she needed…to get…something from…her quarters."

Knockout swore in Cybertronian, glancing at the main medical bay doors with an apprehensive look. If she was on the other side of that door, then chances were she was already dead and Jack was an orphan. Knockout quickly sent a message to Soundwave, hoping the communications officer was still on board and could find June Darby if the human female was still alive.

"Blurr," Knockout waited until the warrior was looking at him once again. "The ship has been ordered to evacuate and Lockdown is just outside the medical bay trying to break in. He is almost through the doors as we speak, as soon as he breaks through the ground bridge will close to keep anyone from pursuing the fleeing injured."

"What…you say…doc?" Blurr slurred.

"There is not enough time to rig you a portable life support system in order to evacuate you as well. Our destination is random, there will be nothing waiting on the other side for us to hook you to once we cross." Knockout gripped the closest thing in range, "Either way, if you stay here or go through, you will not survive."

Blurr's frame shuddered, and then both mechs jumped when something crashed against the main medical bay doors. Knockout glanced out just in time to see Lockdown's masked helm looking through the window in the door. Then the bounty hunter stepped back and transformed one servo into a large tool from which a glowing green ball of energy formed. Lockdown slammed his arm into the door, holding the tool against the metal and it began to heat up.

"Help…me sit." Knockout looked down to see Blurr's blue optics imploring him. The medic assisted the younger mech to sit up btu when he went to disengage the life support Blurr stopped him. "No… Go… I will…hold him…off."

"Blurr," Knockout whispered but the Autobot shook his helm slowly.

"Go."

A green sickly glow had started to appear on the inside of the doors. Knockout took one last look at Blurr before transforming into his alt mode and driving full speed for the ground bridge. Blurr shuffled forward on the berth, his frame straining with effort as he waited.

Knockout had just passed into the ground bridge when the green glow melted the metal door into a molten mess. Lockdown began to take a step into the medical bay when Blurr hit the 'disengage' for the life support and vaulted forward with every ounce of speed he had. The smaller mech crashed into Lockdown, taking the bounty hunter by surprise and making him stumble back.

Blurr looked back to see the medical bay empty, the ground bridge closed, and he turned to Lockdown with a smile on his faceplates. Lockdown transformed a servo into a blade, grabbed Blurr by his neck and drove the point through the Autobot's spark chamber. Blurr coughed on the energon that shot up his valves and filled his mouthpiece, the blue goo sprayed out onto Lockdown's frame but the bounty hunter paid it no mind. He simply twisted his blade, making the younger mech's spark splinter and break, his blue optics fading.

Lockdown tossed the lifeless frame to the side and stood up. He glanced at the empty medical bay and snarled before activating his com. "Lockdown to Shockwave, they got away."

"_It does not matter_," Shockwave replied. "_Return to base_."

The green swirl of a ground bridge opened up in front of him and Lockdown stepped through.

{_Nemesis_ – Central core level}

It was the alarms that brought Soundwave back online, the constant pingings in his helm were enough to force his processor out of the momentary blackout. Soundwave lay still as he activated the alerts, checking on what was going on before he moved. The medical bay had been breached, but he could see only one casualty before Lockdown retreated into a ground bridge. The ship was mostly deserted now, just him and… June Darby?! The message from Knockout could not have come at a worse time. How was he suppose to find one small human amongst this chaos?

Speaking of chaos, Soundwave shifted to stand when he realized that the machine's attack on the door had stopped. Getting his legs underneath him, Soundwave saw that the machine had broken through the door and was quickly making its way towards the central core complex. Its long 'arms' reached out to slash at anything as it passed, slicing through panels and making systems blare in alarm.

Soundwave stumbled to his peds, doing his best to ignore the pain that flashed across his wiring and the energon that leaked from his wounds. The machine must have heard him get up, for its 'head' swiveled to look at him. The two faced each other, sizing the other up and making a decision. The machine turned and hurled itself at the central core, intent on destroying the complex and itself along with it. Yet Soundwave was not napping.

Using the energy he had reserved for an escape route, Soundwave calculated and opened up a ground bridge in front of the machine. Shockwave's monstrosity was pulled forward into the swirling vortex, but it did not go without a fight. One of its 'arms' detached and shot out towards a large panel of the ship's systems and it erupted in a shower of sparks and flames.

The ground bridge closed but Soundwave had no time for rejoicing. The ship lurched beneath his peds, the machine having been able to damage enough to cause the _Nemesis_ to lose the ability to sustain itself in the air. The ship was going down, and Soundwave had already used his ticket for a quick escape on getting rid of Shockwave's machine.

_I'm too noble_, Soundwave lamented. _Should've ditched this hunk of junk when I had the chance_. He turned and made his way to the nearest exit, amazed that he could still walk even though the pain was threatening to send him into another blackout. _Would serve everyone right if I just collapsed right here and let my spark go out. Let them all fight this war without me and see how well that goes_! He stumbled once on his way to the elevator shaft but he reached it in short order and started climbing up the shaft. _Go find the one human who was stupid enough to leave in the middle of a battle_! Soundwave had already set a part of his processor to run through the security tape footage in an effort to find June Darby, it helped take the edge off the pain to distract himself.

He was halfway up the elevator shaft before his processor finally caught up. June Darby was dead; there was no other outcome available. He had taken note of where the humans were before shutting down the unnecessary systems in order to give more power to shields when the _Nemesis_ had first been attacked. The life support for the humans had been one of many things he has shut down, thinking that the humans would stay in the medical bay during such a crisis. What in the galaxy had possessed the Darby woman to leave?

Soundwave opened the lift doors for the residence level, and heaved himself into the hallway. Without any airflow being cycled his fans were working overtime to keep his frame cool, the leaking energon he was leaving in his wake did not help matters either. It took longer to get to his peds, his legs wanted to go in the opposite direction he needed them too.

Finally, Soundwave made his way down the hallway, one servo using the wall for support. The ship was headed towards the planet, once it breached Earth's atmosphere the gravity would pull the _Nemesis_ down to the surface like a paperweight. He had to get out before the ship crashed but first, Soundwave could not leave the fallen behind.

Soundwave did not have to go far, for June Darby had never reached the human quarter level. Her body was floating in the corridor, not able to stay on the ground once the ship's internal gravity field had been shut down to conserve energy, also done by Soundwave. The communications officer gathered the form in a servo and placed it in his cockpit, sealing the canopy shut to preserve the remains.

Wheeling about, Soundwave made his way back to the elevator shaft. He had an idea on how to get off the ship; it just might be really stupid. However, being that Soundwave was losing energon by the second he really did not have a choice so a stupid plan would have to do.

**Hug Vote:**

**Bumblebee – 21**

**Starscream – 13**

**Megatron – 7**

**Miko – 7**

**Soundwave – 7**

**Raf – 4**

**Orion – 3**

**Mckeown – 3**

**Roberto Esquivel(Raf's dad) - 1**

**Favorite character vote:**

**Bumblebee – 9**

**Megatron – 7**

**Soundwave – 6**

**Knockout – 4**

**Blurr – 2**

**Arcee – 1**

**Wheeljack – 1**

**Starscream – 1**

**Orion Prime – 1**

**Silas - 1**

**Faction vote:**

**Decepticons – 24**

**Autobots - 11**


	44. A Titan Falls

**AN: So, a lot of you missed the fact, and you were probably skipping words because honestly I don't know how else you missed it, that June is dead. She was in that hallway without oxygen for a good part of the battle, plus getting battered around once the gravity in that section was taken off. She's dead, Miko's parents are dead, Miko's host parents might die, but Raf's family is safe, and you'll see why when you keep reading. **

**64: That was not a review. I am very displeased. **

**Zanza Flux: Welcome and thanks for the reviews! I'm sorry that you are finding a few things you don't agree with, to that I can only say that I've read great stories on Fanfiction but they did have a few things I would have done differently, so please don't let that sway you into disliking this story simply because I am doing some things you don't like. Although I have noticed that there are things I need to go back and change simply because this story did change direction slightly a few times so I need to make sure it all flows together.**

**Chapter Summary: Shall We Be Divided?**

{Autobot base - Jasper, Nevada}

Battle weary and battered, the scattered Autobots and Decepticons trickled into the Autobot base. The fall of the _Nemesis_ had hit everyone hard, and the first comers to the base in Nevada had quickly set about bringing everyone in. With the help from a couple of Vehicon engineers the ground bridge had been modified and was able to work more efficiently without using up additional energy.

When Megatron had failed to get through to the _Nemesis_ he had, grudgingly, agreed to fall back to the Autobot base until the ship could be hailed. While en route to the base the spark clenching news of the space battle and subsequent fall of the _Nemesis_ had been a shock to Megatron, one that had been difficult to swallow. Then his com had been flooded with calls from the survivors, who were stranded around the planet as their main concern had been with getting off the ship rather then a specific place to arrive, besides it being on Earth.

Getting a list of casualties had been difficult, since everyone was calling him and not knowing the status of everyone else. Only Knockout had been able to give a certainty account that Blurr was deceased, his last act an effort to keep Lockdown away from the ground bridge long enough to make sure everyone has escaped. Megatron sent the report to Orion, letting the prime deal with telling the news to the Autobots. Bumblebee had been very quiet on the ride back, enquiring only once if Raf was safe and then falling silent once again. Megatron did not believe that the little scout regretted his decision, but rather had a lot on his processor to sort through. Such as how close Bumblebee had come to pulling the trigger and killing Silas where the human lay.

Megatron waited beside the ground bridge while the survivors kept pouring in. He took note of each Vehicon number, every scrape and dent that would need attending but he kept himself still, only moving once or twice to assist a mech who stumbled for his footing. When the children were brought through there was an audible sound of relief throughout the room. Arcee, Bulkhead and Bumblebee hurried forward to collect their charges, thanking the Vehicon who had carried them safely in.

The relief was short lived however as Jack was insistent about asking where his mother was. Megatron had been slightly disturbed that the boy's biological caregiver was not present, with so much quiet coming from Knockout's end concerning her fate the Decepticon leader was almost certain he knew what had happened to June Darby. His suspicions were almost assuredly confirmed when Knockout came through the ground bridge, empty-handed and with a haunted look that Megatron had never seen before on the usually preening medic.

"Where's my mom?" Jack asked, slipping out of Arcee's grasp and running up to Knockout without an ounce of fear that the Decepticon could crush him into the floor. "Where is she?"

Knockout, usually so assured and in control, never at a loss for words, could say nothing as he silently watched the young human's eyes glisten with tears. "NO!" Jack shouted, balling his hands into fists. "You promised she would be right behind me! You promised!"

"Jack—" Arcee tried to intervene but Jack ignored her.

"You lying piece of scrap!" Jack continued to rush forward, for all intents and purposes looking like he was ready to ram himself into Knockout's ped at full speed. Knockout quickly scooped Jack up, not wanting the human to splat himself against the unforgiving metal of the medic's frame, but the boy was anything but cooperative. He squirmed, thrashed and screamed a whole line of Cybertronian and human curse words that made even Megatron deactivate his audios for a few minutes.

"Jack?" Arcee shouted, jumping forward. "Jack stop, you're going—"

The ground bridge flared to life again and Soundwave stumbled through. The room fell silent as everyone took in the disheveled state of the Decepticons' communications officer. He fell to the grated floor, the clang of metal snapping everyone out of their shock and moving forward. Megatron reached Soundwave first, leaning down to run his servos under the lighter seeker's armpits as he intended to pull his third-in-command up to his peds. The Decepticon leader quickly reevaluated his plan when he saw the extent of Soundwave's injuries, the worrying sight of the eight-inch through-and-through hole near the spark chamber, as well as the telepath's attempts to open his cockpit.

Silence flared across the room, every eye and optic trained on Soundwave as his cockpit opened up. Gently, the lithe seeker used a servo to clutch the limp body and bring it out for all to see. With trembling limbs, Soundwave stretched out and lowered his arm to the floor.

"Mom?" Jack whispered, but everyone in the hub heard him. The young man did not remember crossing the distance to where Soundwave's servo rested on the floor, nor did he remember scaling the seeker's appendage to where June Darby's body lay, all he knew was that one moment he blinked at seeing his mother's form in Soundwave's grasp and then suddenly he was gathering her in his arms. A sob tore its way out of Jack, shocking the Vehicons but before anyone could offer aid Arcee stepped forward.

"Jack, let me—"

"Get away!" Jack shouted, swinging his arm in Arcee's direction and she quickly moved her servo out of the way. The last thing she wanted was for Jack to be injured during such a situation as this. "All of you get away!" Jack struggled to his feet, his mother's body in his arms and he slid out of Soundwave's servo. "You killed her! You killed Miko's parents! You'll kill all of us! Isn't bad enough you uprooted our lives, dragged us into your war and made us the biggest liars of the state? Why couldn't that be enough?" Jack nearly lost his balance as he headed backwards for the exit, his blue eyes were shining with unshed tears but his face was twisted with rage and sorrow. "I'm done with you! I'm done with all of you!"

Raf left Bumblebee's servo and ran towards Jack. "Jack, don't do this. It's not their fault!"

"Wake up, Raf!" Jack shouted; his arms circled tightly over his mother's body. "They've destroyed us! Ever since they came to Earth they've done nothing but destroy our planet for the sole selfish reason of saving their own. You think they're your friends? They didn't even have the guts to tell you that Starscream grabbed your father off a street, and could be dead for all we know!" For a moment Jack looked like he regretted his words, especially when he saw the shocked look Raf threw at Bumblebee, but his remorse vanished as quickly as it had come. "Get out while you can, Raf. First Miko's family, and now mine, yours is next."

The Cybertronians watched Jack walk out of the hub, before they turned to Raf.

"Raf?' Bumblebee whispered, "I'm sorry, I just—"

Raf held up a hand, "Don't." Megatron watched Bumblebee's door wings droop, a universal sign of dejection if there ever was one. "I'm going to go sit with Miko." Raf turned to head towards Bulkhead's quarters, where the young girl's unconscious body had been placed so that she would wake up in a quiet, familiar area. "Bumblebee," Raf said, as he paused in the hallway, "will you come with me?"

The scout immediately perked up, moving quickly to Raf's side and silently asking for permission to carry him. When Raf nodded, Bumblebee gently scooped him up and disappeared down the hallway.

Megatron was brought back to a more pressing issue when he felt Soundwave tap his arm. Looking down at his third-in-command, Megatron was alarmed to see the pool of energon gathering beneath the slighter seeker. He quickly hoisted Soundwave up in his arms and started towards the medical bay.

"What do we do about Jack?" Arcee asked, "We just can't let him leave the base, he'll be a sitting target for Shockwave."

Megatron sighed and signaled Dreadwing to take Soundwave from him. He briefly looked about the hub, wondering where Orion was. He had not seen the red and blue mech since they had entered the Autobot base and he quickly sent a ping to his old friend. Delicate matters such as crew morale were better left to his more sensitive friend.

Of course Orion had to be very unhelpful and not answer him.

Megatron sighed and turned to Arcee, as much as he wanted to be by Soudnwave's side the Decepticon leader knew he could not ignore the other problems around the base. "Arcee, shut down the base. There are no more distress beacons so we will not be using the ground bridge for some time. No one is to leave this base without my authorization; I want every exit guarded by at least two mechs. Twins," Megatron looked at Sideswipe and Sunstreaker, "you are in charge of finding everyone a place to recharge, even if we have to do it in our alt modes. Off-duty personnel should stick to the rec room, training room or helping out in the medical bay with the wounded so as not to get in the way." Megatron turned to Arcee, "As for Jackson Darby, he has had enough of our interference today. I _suggest_," he stressed the word, "that you allow him to mourn in peace and give him space. It was mostly anger and sorrow that guided his words today, not any real conviction, believe me," Megatron said firmly when Arcee looked ready to deny his words, "I have enough experience in that field to recognize the signs. Given time to calm and collect himself, your partner will regret most of the things he said. Whether he will forgive us for failing to save his maternal unit is another matter entirely."

Feeling he had covered the most necessary points, Megatron left the hub and headed to where Bumblebee had gone with Raf. This was another matter he had to address, for he could not let Bumblebee take the blame for concealing Roberto Esquivel's disappearance from Raf. Trying not to sound to pleading, Megatron sent another ping to Orion but again received nothing in return. After he saw to two of the youngest members of his army, Megatron vowed to hunt Orion down and shake him until all his nuts and bolts came loose. It was no better than Orion deserved for leaving him to deal with the gentle talking.

{Shockwave's Lair}

_It is so cold here, or do I think that only because all warmth has been taken from me? Lately, it's been getting hard to keep the facts I know to be real straight. Believing Shockwave's lies is just too easy, but I cannot let him win anymore than he already has_.

Walking down the hallway lined with the cells filled with captured humans, the pondering Cybertronian paused to look at the motionless organics. _I am not better than them, a puppet on strings waiting for my master to move me as he wants. I have no will of my own, I cannot fight him, I cannot resist his commands_. _He controls my frame and my processor, only the deepest parts of my spark are still left untouched and those I have locked so tight not even I can break the coding_.

The Cybertronian continued down the hallway, not really having a destination or anywhere to be at the moment. _Wandering aimlessly, that is all I can do when Shockwave does not want me. If only I could destroy something, damage some important piece of his machinery that would set him back in his plans but I am forbidden to do so._ _The scientist has learned, somewhat, from his past mistake, it will not be so easy for me to escape his clutches as the other one did, even if someone rescued me_.

…

_What was I just thinking_? _My processor is slipping, falling into that foggy, compliant coding Shockwave has shifting through my core is getting harder to resist. It would be so easy to just let it all slip away and give up being bothered by the things he has made me do. I could bury my conscience in that fog; become no better than how the Vehicons were before Lord Mega_—

White-hot pain laced through the Cybertronian's processor, and for the first time footsteps sounded against the metal floor grating as the small, thin frame stumbled. Two thin-fingered servos shakily reached up to grasp at the collar fastened around an even thinner neck joint, a weak tug was given before the servos fell in defeat. The collar was securely fastened and would only come off with Shockwave's permission, or by the help of a very powerful tool.

_I am a slave, a plaything to answer Shockwave's whims. What I once was is far away in the pas. I know there was someone important, once, but I can no longer recall a designation, or a face. I am truly losing myself in this hellish mindscape Shockwave has trapped me in_.

"Ah, there you are." The leering voice of Lockdown brought the other Cybertronian to a halt. The bounty hunter stood in the doorway, a smirk adorning his faceplate. "I was wondering where you had gone off too."

The red optics were blank, what power remained in the smaller Cybertronian's processor shuddered in fear, for Lockdown was only ever interested in pain.

_Is it worth it to keep fighting_? _Or should I not make it so easy for them by giving up?_

{Autobot base – Jasper, Nevada}

"Where is my family?" Raf asked. "Are they really in protective custody as you said?"

"Yes," Bumblebee answered. "Your mother and siblings were moved from Jasper and are actually no longer in the country. When your father was taken, Agent Fowler had your family put into protective custody, Soundwave then manipulated the computers to get them moved again and then deleted all records of them so that Shockwave could not find them."

Raf nodded, looking over at the sleeping Miko. "Did someone tell my mother not to mention to me that my dad had been taken?"

"That was more for security purposes than any real intent to keep you ignorant of your father's whereabouts." Raf and Bumblebee looked up to see Megatron standing in the open doorway, "At the time we were unaware how extensive Shockwave's monitoring system was so when you called your mother both of you were warned to avoid saying certain words that could be tracked. Understand, Raf Esquivel, we did not keep you in the dark on this matter for any ill intention, rather to protect you and the rest of your family from anything Shockwave might be planning. I bring to mind the execution of Miko's parents, the very fact that Shockwave has targeted the families of our human allies on more than two occasions should be an indicator that everything he is doing is deliberate. What does he seek to gain by driving a wedge between us and you?"

Megatron left Raf to ponder his words, motioning Bumblebee to follow him out into the hallway. "Do you regret your decision?"  
>Bumblebee hesitated, his processor whirling back to the confrontation with Silas, of which he was sure Megatron was alluding too. "No. I'm glad I didn't pull the trigger. Death would have been too quick for him, this way he'll have plenty of time to rethink his actions and suffer before his own demise."<p>

Megatron nodded, it was not the road he would have chosen but the outcome was still satisfactory. Silas would have many years, alone with only his own mind for company, in which to reflect on his situation. Megatron almost grinned as he thought how it, after all, humans were by nature very social creatures and he could only imagine how insane Silas would become in his confinement, watching the world moving on without him. Now there was a pleasant thought after the bad day they all were having.

The Decepticon leader left Bumblebee and walked towards the medical bay, wondering if perhaps Orion was there. It was quite possible his friend had been injured but not said anything, after all, they had both pulled stunts like that before yet Megatron was not could not erase the uneasiness that had settled over his spark. Something was not right, and had not been right for a while; he had just been too busy to see it.

The medical bay was smaller than the one on the _Nemesis_, and very packed. Ratchet was moving about the injured with two Vehicon assistants, but most of the Vehicons who were injured had formed lines so they could pass instruments around without having to move and thereby trip over one another. Megatron wondered who had set that system up.

Knockout was with Soundwave in the surgery room, the door closed so Megatron had to content himself with looking through the slam glass window. The still frame of his TIC was not a comforting sight but getting a glimpse of the spark monitor assured the Decepticon leader that the telepath was still living.

Megatron turned and exited the medical bay, knowing his larger size was more of a nuisance in such a space than a benefit. The less injured were lining the sides of the hallway leading to the medical bay, their wounds being tended to field medic Vehicons until a more experienced medic could tend to them. Moving beyond the wounded, after assuring them that they would be treated soon, Megatron brought up the specs of the Autobot base and tried to figure out where Orion could be.

The training room? His quarters? The wash racks?

Megatron picked Orion's quarters, although he thought it unlikely that his friend would go recharge at such a time as this. Then again disappearing and ignoring comm calls was hardly something Orion would do on a regular basis, so there _was_ something else going on. Thinking it best to keep this on the quiet, Megatron sent a private message to Dreadwing. "_Search for Orion, but do not let anyone know that you are doing so_."

Dreadwing's response was immediate, "_Yes, my lord_."

Megatron tried to look as casual as possible as he made his way towards the quarters level once again. He passed Bulkhead's room; glad to see young Raf seeking comfort from his guardian once again, the girl, Miko, was still sleeping. Bumblebee looked up as he passed and Megatron keyed the door to shut and lock, turning away when the surprise washed through the scout's blue optics.

"_Lord Megatron, what are you doing_?" Bumblebee asked over his comm.

"Stay inside, little scout, protect the humans."

Moving down the hallway, Megatron found that none of the other quarters were occupied. In fact, the closer he came to Orion's quarters, the quieter the area became. Not one for liking silence, Megatron primed his cannon and hit the key pad to Orion's room.

What Megatron saw made him depower his cannon and hurry forward. Orion lay on the floor, his frame sprawled in a manner that suggested he had crumpled to the deck already unconscious.

"Megatron to Arcee," Megatron tapped his comm, already scanning the room before moving forward. "Scan the base for intruders." Megatron pushed one digit in between Orion's neck joints, searching for a pulse and was gratified when he found it. "Orion? Orion?"

Shaking his friend did not emit a response, so Megatron turned Orion over to see if he was damaged. Aside from a few scratches and dents, Orion's armor was relatively unscathed so it was no outward injury. Megatron wished he had a tool to access Orion's medical port and do an internal scan of his friend in order to ascertain the prime's condition.

Megatron prepared to lift Orion, knowing he could not call either of the senior medics away from the medical bay at this point, when the younger mech began to stir.

"Orion?" Megatron inquired, feeling relief pulse into his spark as seeing those blue optics unshutter. Yet his consolation was shortly lived, as Orion's optics hardened at seeing the Decepticon leader looming above him.

"Megatron." The voice was so cold, devoid of the friendship that Orion had extended to him, that Megatron was shocked.

"Wha—?"

Orion pushed himself up by one arm while he threw the other at Megatron. The Decepticon warlord was taken by surprise and so received the full force of the punch to the face, stumbling back in an effort to keep from falling backwards but Orion was on with a second blow before Megatron could get situated. The Decepticon recalibrated his sensors, trying to clear the ringing in his helm and was hit in the chest, making him step backwards into the hallway.

Orion stepped out of his room, one sword unsheathing down his arm, "Megatron, you will pay for leveling Iacon."

"Iacon?" Megatron repeated, his processor whirling, seeking answers.

Orion charged, swinging his sword and Megatron blocked, bringing his own sword out to make the match even. "Orion! Snap out of it! Iacon is in the past, we have moved on!"

"Cease your lies," Orion's sword grazed Megatron's arm, for the Autobot had the Decepticon at a disadvantage since Megatron did not want to really hurt his friend. "I will not be fooled by your words again, the mech I knew as Megatronus is gone, you replaced him with a cold-blooded killer and I have sworn to stop you before more innocents die."

These words brought Megatron up short, certain that he had heard them before and so he was a little slow in avoiding the blade as Orion drove it into the Decepticon's hip joint. Megatron roared in pain and fury, his red optics blazing as he grabbed both of Orion's servos, swiveling them about so that it was Orion pressed against the wall. Now, the decepticon had a fair guess as to what was happening, if not why, so to test his theory Megatron chose his next words to see what would happen.

"Orion, my friend, you must fight this!"

"At the end of this day, one shall stand, one shall fall." Orion twisted the sword, making Megatron's frame shift upwards as the blade cut through sensitive wiring and energon lines. He pushed back, pulling himself off the sword and putting some space between him and Orion.

It was, as he feared. Orion was caught in a memory of Optimus' and believed that they were standing amongst the ruins of Iacon, as they had so many years ago. It was after Megatron had slain the council and had reduced the buildings of the wealthy to piles of debris when the Autobot forces had shown up, having been diverted to another area to open the way for the Decepticons to Iacon.

Energon was leaking down Megatron's leg, the wound on his hip flaring pain signals up his frame. A loud thump down the hallway alerted Megatron to the fact that Bumblebee was pounding on the door, most likely trying to break out after he had found that overriding Megatron's security lock was impossible. Yet Bumblebee was probably ignorant of the danger out here, as he would not be able to see Megatron or Orion from the door's small window.

Orion unsheathed his second sword and crossed them; an opening move Megatron had seen Optimus do many times. Megatron readied his own blade, disabling the sensors to his wound in order to numb the area and make it easier to move. In less than a second, so fast that if one had blinked it would have been missed, Orion moved forward with a speed and confidence he had hitherto not shown since being freed from the council's mental prison.

Megatron was waiting for it, the memory of this same fight in the forefront of his processor as he moved to block. The clang of blades echoed down the hallway, so loud that even Bumblebee and Raf heard it from Bulkhead's room. Sparks flew when the swords met, one of Orion's blades sliding down Megatron's to make a harsh, scraping sound that would have made a human wince. While one blade was pressing against his enemy's, Orion brought his other blade up and tried to go for the seam of Megatron's spark chamber.

Not to be caught dozing a second time, Megatron deflected the blade with his free servo and it scratched its way across his shoulder plate. Pushing his weight against Orion, Megatron was able to make his deluded friend give ground so that the Decepticon could free up his sword and attack. Not wanting to cause too much damage to the base, Megatron kept his cannons offline and had to content himself with his sword and wits as his only tools to best Orion.

"Lord Megatron!" Dreadwing shouted, running down the hallway with Bulkhead and the Twins following.

"Stay back!" Megatron warned, but of course Orion had already heard the Decepticon's voice.

"Fight Autobots!" The deceived Autobot leader shouted, "Do not give ground to our enemies!"

"What the—" Sunstreaker started to say, but Bulkhead was already turning to Dreadwing, looking ready to fight.

"Get a medic!" Megatron yelled, blocking Orion's attack and punching the Autobot's exposed side as hard as he could. "He's not in his right processor!"  
>"Do not be deceived!" Orion said, one blade managing to nick Megatron's helm. "The Decepticons are our enemies, they destroyed Iacon and will not rest until all of Cybertron lies as a wasteland."<p>

Megatron knocked one of Orion's sword arms to the side and pinned him to the wall, "Orion, look around you, we are not on Cybertron. Orion, listen to me!"

Orion sheathed one sword to grab Megatron, driving the other sword into the wounded hip joint for a second time. He leaned close, his blazing blue optics looking at Megatron with a malice the Decepticon had never seen before, "Orion is dead."

Megatron gasped, horrified, as he realized that Optimus was, somehow, in control of his friend once again.

"No!" Megatron freed one servo to punch Orion in the faceplate, hard, again and again. Pulling the blade out of him, Megatron grabbed Orion and threw him against the wall, smashing the Autobot's helm against the hard concrete.

For a moment the blue optics shuttered, Orion's frame fell to the floor and when he opened his optics again there was nothing but fear and confusion mirroring in them. "M-Megatronus?" A whimper escaped the downed mech, a sound none of the others had heard come from the prime ever before. Megatron crouched before Orion, searching his frame for a sign of deceit.

"Orion?"

"Help me!" Orion implored, "Megatronus, where are you? They're going to hurt me! Help me!"

"I will, my friend," and Megatron's servo moved quickly, one finger sliding between the neck joints at the back of Orion's helm to find the emergency stasis lock button. "I will."

**AN: Whew! Long, long chapter, my longest yet! So review, review, review! What do you think happened to Orion? What will happen to him now?**

**Hug Vote:**

**Bumblebee – 21**

**Starscream – 13**

**Megatron – 7**

**Miko – 7**

**Soundwave – 7**

**Raf – 4**

**Orion – 3**

**Mckeown – 3**

**Roberto Esquivel(Raf's dad) - 1**

**Favorite character vote:**

**Bumblebee – 9**

**Megatron – 7**

**Soundwave – 6**

**Knockout – 4**

**Blurr – 2**

**Arcee – 1**

**Wheeljack – 1**

**Starscream – 1**

**Orion Prime – 1**

**Silas - 1**

**Faction vote:**

**Decepticons – 24**

**Autobots - 11**


	45. Megatron's Choice

**64: Yes, that was a review, though I did not understand your second one. **

**Moonview: Welcome and thanks for the review. **

**Wisty: Welcome back, hope your face is okay. What was that stuff about Zuko? **

**Insert something creative: Glad you liked the last chapter, even though it was difficult for me to write I'm also glad with how it came out. **

{Autobot Base – Jasper, Nevada}

_The fight in the arena had not been as brutal as the past few days, but the crowd had been just as entertained. Megatron had only killed four combatants, a low number for him but the again he had not gone out into the arena as much. On a slow day like this it was usually the younger gladiators who were sent out in order to gain experience and for the slave owners to weed out any weak slaves who would not really offer an entertaining fight. _(AN: Think of in Gladiator, where Maximus and the other gladiators are before they fight and Maximus meets the boy, Lucius, for the first time)

_ Megatron had not been injured at all so he was among the first to return to the outdoor cages where passersby could gawk openly at the famous or favored gladiators on display. More than anything else, Megatron really hated the time spent out in the 'display cases', listening to mechs and femmes talk about his great fights and wondering his chances against another favored gladiator that he had, as of yet, not gone up against. The way they talked about the deaths of gladiators so carelessly, without pausing to think that all the gladiators knew one another and many of them dreaded having their names drawn against someone else's. _

_ Megatron did as he normally did during this time, standing in a corner of his cage with his frame slightly turned from the crowd, his red optics glowering out at those who passed. It served well as a deterrent against many stopping by to really look at him or try to speak to him. Yet, for some reason, it did not turn away the light built blue framed mech, who stood no higher than Megatron's shoulder. His blue optics betrayed his Iacon lineage, but seeing an Iaconian was not so strange in Kaon during the gladiator season. _

_ "I watched you fight," the younger mech said. "I've only read about some of the fight maneuvers you used, but to actually see them done was really impressive. I hope the other mechs you fought against were not too badly hurt." The mech's blue optics looked down the line of cages, "I do not see them out here."_

_ "Nor would you." Megatron was not sure why he responded; he never had before to anyone foolish enough to talk to him. "Did you not see their optics dim?"_

_ "Yes, but that was just for show." The mech waited a second before asking, "Wasn't it?"_

_ The naivety of the mech was beyond believable. Surely no one could be that ignorant on Cybertron? There was a word for what he was seeing in the other mech but Megatron stumbled to remember. Finally he did, innocence, and it left a bitter taste in his mouth like a cube of barely refined energon. "What is your name?"_

_ The mech smiled, and Megatron could detect nothing in the other that would imply a hidden motive. "I'm Orion Pax, I work in the Archives of Iacon."_

Megatron gingerly shifted his weight to his newly healed hip joint and tested it. Everything felt fine and Knockout had already cleared him for duty, after the Decepticon medic had taken advantage of his leader's weakened state to deliver one of his famous 'You're not sparkling, you have no excuse for acting so rashly' lectures. While his frame was back to top-notch condition, Megatron found convincing others of this fact was harder than he originally thought. In particular a black and yellow scout who had refused to leave his side and had to be forcibly dragged away by Dreadwing when Knockout had had to operate on the mangled limb.

"Are you sure you should be moving around yet, Lord Megatron?" Bumblebee asked, moving forward to lend support to the Decepticon leader. Dreadwing, who was standing a little behind Bumblebee, rolled his optics at Megatron, while the younger seeker had been concerned for his leader's health he was not as blatant about it as Bumblebee was. Growing up in the arena, Dreadwing and Skyquake had seen their share of injuries, on themselves as well as their mentor, and they had learned quickly to keep their emotions in check no matter what the situation was. The twin seekers had only really struggled staying in control of their emotions when one of them was hurt, as their bond allowed them to feel what the other felt.

"I can assure you, little scout," Megatron said, trying hard to keep his mouthpiece from quirking up, "Knockout would not let me leave this berth if he thought I should not. Your concern is noted but I promise you that I am not an invalid, there is no need for me to stay on a medical berth."  
>Knockout came over before Bumblebee could respond, and his countenance brought an air of tension over the group.<p>

"You have finished your diagnostic of Orion?" Megatron asked, noting how the Autobots started crowding in to hear better. Knockout nodded and the Decepticon leader cycled air through his vents before asking his next question, "And what is his condition?"

"Too many memories," Knockout said. "Simply put, Orion's processor overloaded with the memories of having lived two different lives. Most likely from the day you brought Orion out of the council's prison and merged him with Optimus he has been struggling with trying to find a balance between the two lifestyles. On one servo, Orion has over a thousand years' worth of memories where he believed himself to be trapped in Iacon's Archives, slaving away for the council. He was alone, with only himself for company, you'll remember that when you stepped into the imitation Archives he was talking to himself and did not recognize you. On the other servo, Optimus became Prime and the right hand of the council. In the battlefield he was held up a pinnacle to which the Autobot forces rallied behind and every speech he gave had the council's writing all over it. Who knows what else the council did to him when he was not in the 'limelight', as the humans call it. When we brought Orion out and merged him with Optimus there were still two sets of memories and because Orion was not Optimus and vice versa there was not enough space in Orion's processor to contain them all. I take full responsibility for what happened, Lord Megatron, I should have been more vigilant. I should have realized what having all those memories would have done."

Megatron was silent, looking beyond Knockout to the room behind where the still form of Orion lay. "What is the damage?"

"While trying to keep a grip on reality, I believe Orion tried to merge his two sets of memories which led to a meltdown. Like you saw in the hallway, Orion most likely started seeing things through Optimus' optics and then reverting back to the time he was stuck, alone, in the Archives. He held it back for as long as he could, which would explain his actions and words the past couple weeks, but I believe everything came to a head when he returned from the assault on MECH's base. Exhausted from battle, Orion simply had no energy left to keep Optimus' persona from taking control."

"Treatment?" Megatron asked, trying hard to keep from hissing the word. It was not Knockout's fault, it was his, _he_ had been a fool to think that throwing off the council's control would be that easy.

"Deletion," Knockout answered promptly. "With Ratchet's help I would like to begin immediately separating the memories and deleting as many as possible. Specifically those memories of the greater portion of Orion's time in the artificial Archives and as many of Optimus' memories as possible."

"What?" Bulkhead had stepped forward, "You're not messing around with Prime's head."

"Bulkhead—" Arcee interjected.

"How do we know they didn't mess Prime up to begin with?"

Before the situation could escalate, Megatron stepped in, backed up by Dreadwing and Bumblebee. "Bulkhead, you will submit to another examination by Ratchet and Knockout, as will all the rest of the Autobots. Do not tell me that these are your own words after all our two companies have been through fighting MECH and Shockwave."

Bulkhead was brought up short, his blue optics spinning at the implications and he turned, looking around at the Twins, Arcee and Ratchet. They were all stunned as well, each of them no doubt examining themselves as internally as possible without a medic.

"You owe it to Miko Nakadai. She has no one now but you, her guardian," Megatron reminded Bulkhead. "Do not be so foolish as to forget where your first duty lies now, soldier." Bulkhead took the rebuke for what it was, and for the first time on his life he willingly made his way over to a medical berth and lay down.

Megatron turned to Knockout, "I want them all checked, that includes Bumblebee." Knockout nodded but Megatron grabbed him before the medic could move away, "Is deletion the only way to help Orion?"

"Yes, my lord. I would like to get started on that as soon as possible."

Megatron looked back to where Orion was resting. "Tend to the other Autobots first, I will let you know when you can start on Orion."

Not waiting for a reply, Megatron walked over to the room holding Orion and stepped. He closed the door and locked it, moving over to the medical berth, Megatron glanced at the computer screens where Orion's vital signs were being monitored. Orion's physical wounds had been fixed, now there was nothing wrong with him but the torment in his processor, which was too delicate an area for Megatron to help him with.

_Megatron could not believe how close he and Orion had become after that first meeting. It had been amusing when the Archivist had learned the gladiator had not known how to read and write, though Megatron had felt a little embarrassment at being ignorant of something. He had quickly given into Orion's insistence that he learn how to read and write, and it was in delving in this unknown knowledge that Megatron learned how to free himself. Like the other gladiators he had known there was a slave code keeping him from leaving the arena grounds and from disobeying his owner, but without knowing how to read he had been unable to break the coding. _

_ Now he was free, and he owed it all to Orion Pax, in whose apartment he was currently hiding out in after escaping the arena. The Ioconian had been shocked by the presence of the slave code, and had sworn to help Megatron free all the gladiators but little did they know it would go beyond that. Megatron had always felt a need to protect the smaller mech, sheltering him as best as the ex-gladiator could even though Orion could not stay innocent in the wake of the council's treachery being unfolded._

_ "Let us make a new era." Megatron said, "Together let us free all those under the slave code and truly bring about a golden age this planet and its people can be proud of." Megatron held out as servo, "As brothers, let us, side-by-side, scrape the rust from Cybertron and return it to glory."_

_ Orion grasped Megatron's servo, "As brothers."_

Megatron leaned over to hit the release for the stasis lock and watched Orion's optics unshutter lazily and blink.

"Megatron?" Orion asked, blue optics looking about the room before settling on the Decepticon leader. "What happened? Why…why am I tied down?"

Megatron looked at the restraints on Orion's arms and legs before looking back at his friend. "You disappeared after we returned from the MECH base. I found you unconscious in your room, do…do you have any idea why that happened, Orion?"

Orion looked at him, shame and guilt in his optics. "I am sorry, Megatron."

Megatron shook his helm, "Why did you not tell me you were struggling? Or at least go to Knockout or Ratchet?"

"We had to deal with MECH and Shockwave. You were so focused, trying so hard to heal the breach between Autobots and Decepticons, giving a home to the human wards; I did not want to be a hindrance. You needed me to be there, to act as a prime and lead the Autobots, and I thought I could do it. But the memories plagued me. I thought I was back in the Archives, trapped, or fighting Decepticons in places I never even visited. I knew things were getting fumbled together, but I honestly did not know what to do, Megatron. There was so much happening, so much going on, what could I have done differently?" Megatron was silent; his processor whirling with what Orion had told him and feeling a little guilt slip into his spark. Had he pressured Orion without realizing it? "What is to be done?"

Megatron glanced back at Orion, not registering at first that his gaze had slipped away. "Knockout has recommended deletion as the only means able we have to keep you from regressing any further into memories from the past."

Orion nodded, "Do you agree with him?"

Megatron hesitated. "You will lose that part of your life forever, any memories that are deleted of Optimus' you will also lose, as well as any information those memories could hold. I had memories deleted, unwillingly, by the council once. The aftereffects are still with me, an empty, hollowness that cannot be filled no matter all the memories I have obtained since the deletion happened. I cannot tell you how your experience will be, I cannot even guarantee that the procedure will completely eliminate the Optimus' shadow or the council's manipulations. It may do more harm than good."

Orion and Megaotrn stared at one another for a moment before the prime asked quietly, "What is it you are seeking, Megatron? My permission? You have it. I was a fool to think I could deal with this on my own, but no longer. I will trust you, I will trust the medics. Let them do the deletion, and we will deal with the results when it is over." Orion smiled, "Or rather, you will deal with the results as Primus knows what state I'll be in."

Megatron chuckled, "You always leave the hard tasks for me to deal with, don't you?"

"That's the only way to keep you busy," Orion quipped, his spark warmed by the light banter he and Megatron were able to have, but the moment passed too quickly for either mech's liking.

"Orion?" Megatron asked, noting the quick intake of air and the blue optics shifting about the room in sudden confusion. Megatron knew what was happening, and his spark clenched with anger, as he was helpless to stop it.

The blue optics went from confusion to anger, the full blaze of which was released on Megatron who did not flinch. "Megatron."

"Optimus," Megatron acknowledged, his neck joints tightening.

"There will be no negotiation for my release," Optimus said. "The council does not negotiate with terrorists, which is all you are and all you ever will be."

Megatron smirked, "You are right that there will be no negotiation, for I will not even try." The unsettled look that flashed over Optimus' faceplate was rewarding. "You have been a nuisance, Optimus, like an oil stain that won't come out of my armor, but that's all going to change. This is the end, Optimus, you will not see the outside of this room. You will be destroyed, until there is nothing left of you but a painful memory that I have no doubt will be easily soothed away by a strong cube of energon and some friendly camaraderie." Megatron leaned over his friend's frame, unable to keep the smirk from his faceplate as he looked at Optimus, "I will bury you until you can haunt me and mine no more. You will not resurface to disturb the peace we are building, your name will be remembered in history as nothing but a mindless lackey who followed the last council's orders."

Orion's frame shuddered, the anger dying from the blue optics and Megatron took a step back, watching. Hurt, pain and fear reflected across Orion's faceplate and Megatron knew his friend was back, but not himself. "Orion?"

Orion's frame shook, his limbs struggling against the restraints weakly, as if he were not at full strength. At the sound of Megatron's voice, Orion looked up fearfully, and, at seeing the Decepticon leader, he made a low sound of distress. Megatron took a step forward but Orion started thrashing, shaking his helm, back and forth in disbelief.

"You can't be here! You aren't real!" his blue optics turned and started scanning the room, as if looking for someone else. "Why are you making me see him? What could you possibly have to gain?"

"Orion—"

"Kill me!" Orion screamed, his voice sounding so much younger than his age, the usual rich baritone gone. "I can give you nothing! So stop torturing me and just kill me already! Please! Please!" Orion cycled a few intakes of air before looking at Megatron with sorrowful optics, "He won't come for me, I know that now, so you've won, alright? You've won! So just kill me! Kill m—"

Megatron quickly hit a button and Orion was sent into a forced recharge. The Decepticon leader stood motionless, watching the pain and fear drift away from his friend until his faceplate was peaceful and his tremors had ceased. Reaching out, Megatron briefly rested a servo on Orion's helm, if someone else had been in the room they would have heard the words "I'm sorry", softly spoken before Megatron retracted his servo.

Walking out of the room, Megatron looked down at Knockout, who stood before him. "You have my permission to start."

"The procedure is a long one, sir," Knockout reminded him. "I and Ratchet are the only medics we will only be able to do a small bit every few hours. Until then it would be best to keep him in stasis."

Megatron nodded, "Then you had best get started."

"Yes, my lord."

Megatron walked down the aisle of medical berths, not noticing the Autobots slowly sitting up and running internal diagnostics on themselves after having been checked over once again for foreign coding. He waved off Dreadwing, who had stepped forward but immediately backed off at his commander's gesture. Megatron walked on, coming to the end of the medical bay but before he stepped out something caught his optic.

He took a step towards the sealed room and looked through the glass. The motionless frame of Wheeljack lay strapped down a medical berth, still in a forced stasis. Megatron stared hard at the Wrecker, not liking where his thought process was going but unable to keep himself from thinking it just might be possible.

_Megatron looked about the apartment in dismay, unable to find Orion anywhere. Where could the young mech have gotten too? When his comlink went off Megatron felt a rush of hope that it was Orion, only to find out it was Skyquake instead. "Sir, we've been hit, I managed to evacuate the ones I could. We're heading to the shipyards, it's best to steal a few ships and get out of here until we can rebuild our forces."_

_ "Wait, Skyquake, how did they find us? Have you seen Orion?" Megatron fought the panic swelling in his spark._

_ "Sir…" Skyquake hesitated before answering. "Orion was the one who led them to us."_

_ "What?" Megatron whispered. "That's impossible. He's my second-in-command, my brother, I—"_

_ "Sir," Skyquake interjected, "he betrayed us. His frame's been updated, and he's become a real fighter, but it was him, sir, I swear it. Let me send you a picture I took." Megatron stared in horror when the picture uploaded on his screen, the resemblance was unmistakable and it was, without a doubt, Orion Pax. "Sir? You should know that the Autobot soldiers were calling him Optimus Prime." _

_ "Brother," Megatron whispered, and he felt pain well up inside him as if a bomb had exploded within him, white hot agony scorching his insides and he knew what he was feeling was the devastating agony of betrayal. _

**AN: Sorry about the long wait, I don't want to make any promises about the next chapter but hopefully it will be out quicker than this one was.**

**Hug Vote:**

**Bumblebee – 23**

**Starscream – 14**

**Megatron – 8**

**Miko – 8**

**Soundwave – 8**

**Raf – 5**

**Orion – 4**

**Mckeown – 4**

**Roberto Esquivel(Raf's dad) – 2**

**Knockout – 1**

**Dreadwing – 1**

**Arcee – 1**

**Bulkhead – 1**

**Ratchet – 1**

**Jack – 1**

**Sunstreaker – 1**

**Sideswipe – 1**

**Vehicons - 1**

**Favorite character vote:**

**Bumblebee – 10**

**Megatron – 8**

**Soundwave – 6**

**Knockout – 5**

**Blurr – 2**

**Arcee – 1**

**Wheeljack – 1**

**Starscream – 1**

**Orion Prime – 1**

**Silas - 1**

**Faction vote:**

**Decepticons – 26**

**Autobots - 11**


	46. The Line is Drawn

**AN: Slowly creeping up to 500 reviews, come on loyal followers help me!**

**TransformersPrimeGal: Welcome and thanks for reviewing!**

**64: If it's the faction vote, then yes you can defect to the other side if you wish. You can give as many hugs as you want, and you can have more than one favorite character.**

**Chapter Summary: Megatron makes a desperate decision that pays off**

{Autobot Base – Jasper, Nevada}

"I have had enough." The statement, though not said loudly, brought everyone to a halt in the medical bay. Blue and red optics glanced at each other before all looked at Megatron, each measuring him as he stood there, looking into Wheeljack's room.

"Lord Megatron?" Dreadwing asked, one servo latching onto Bumblebee's shoulder to keep the younger mech still.

"I have had enough!" Megatron shouted, turning towards the Autobots and Decepticons in the medical bay, his red optics flaring with rage. "We have been fooled! Attacked! Robbed of our home! Sent scurrying into a mountain to hide like thieves who fear to be caught!" Megatron took a step towards the assembled mechs and femme, his optics piercing each of theirs as he continued. "I have had enough of being led around by the energon treats Shockwave dangles in front of me! I have had enough of watching you and others being injured without gaining any ground to show for it! I have had enough of the likes of Lockdown and Shockwave getting away from our grasp! So what if we stopped MECH? They were but a pawn in a much larger game that they did not understand. We punished MECH for touching one of our own," Megatron dipped his helm in Bumblebee's direction, "now we will obliterate Shockwave and Lockdown until their frames have been molten down." While Megatron was speaking everyone, Autobots as well as Decepticons, drew closer to him, their sparks thrumming with renewed energy whereas before they had been battle-weary and those who had viewed the _Nemesis_ as home had been emotional wrecks. "We have been pushed, but this is as far back as we will go. We will not retreat any more; we will not give in or destroy ourselves, as Shockwave would have us do. We are going to strike back, but we will do so when we know our target is exactly where it should be. No more of this running off gun half-cocked. We fight as one unit; only united can we stand against the forces that would otherwise destroy us and demolish this world like it did our own."

Megatron turned to where the injured Soundwave was pushing himself up, disengaging the medical paraphernalia that Knockout had attached to him after his surgery. "Soundwave, are you well enough to leave that berth?" The telepath nodded, swinging his legs to the floor and standing up in one graceful motion that gave nothing away if his injury still pained him. "Very well, you will use whatever means at your disposal to pinpoint Shockwave's location, we must be absolutely sure this time that he is where we think he is. While Soundwave is working I want silence from the rest of us. No one in or out of the mountain, no calls or gate bridge activity, nothing that can be tracked, we were careless before but we will not make that mistake again." Megatron glanced at the sealed room where Knockout and Ratchet were working on Orion, "And one last thing. Bulkhead," the Decepticon leader turned to look at the ex-wrecker, "wake Wheeljack up."

{Bulkhead's Quarters, Autobot Base}

Miko slowly opened her eyes and blinked. She felt lethargic, as if she had jet-lag or had gone to sleep at the wrong hour of the day and slept too long. Nothing felt right either, her limbs were heavy as if they were weighed down by lead, and her head felt as if it was stuffed with cotton. She could not formulate any thoughts and what she was seeing was not making any sense.

This was not her room at her host parents' house. It was too big for one, and for the second it was all the wrong colors, brown and gray, who painted a room like this?

It took a few minutes for the clicking sounds to register, and another few minutes for her to identify the sounds as those of a keyboard of a laptop. A familiar sound when associated with a person who, against all odds, had become her friend. Miko groaned as she tried to lift her head, "Raf?"

The typing stopped and suddenly Raf's face was in front of her own, his brown eyes full of concern and taking time to inspect her, "Miko," he whispered. "How are you? Can you sit up? Are you hungry? Thirsty?"

"Slow down, Raf," Miko pushed herself into a sitting postion and looked about the room, she realized that she was in Bulkhead's room, laying int eh small bed her guardian had made for the nights when she would sleep over. "I'm fine, just groggy. Water sounds great. Wait, why are we whispering?"

"Oh, I wasn't sure if you had a headache or not, Ratchet said it was normal to be lethargic after coming off the sleeping cocktail Knockout whipped up for you and that you might have a headache from lack of water even though he tried his best to keep you hydrated while we were on the _Nemesis_."

"Why aren't we on the _Nemesis_ anymore?" Miko wondered, gratefully taking the water bottle Raf handed her and sipping it slowly.

"A lot has happened, Miko," Raf said sadly. "While you were out, Megatron, a large contingent of the Decepticons and the Autobots attacked MECH's base, though at first they thought it was Shockwave's lair. While they were occupied, Shockwave attacked the _Nemesis_ and managed to board her. Soundwave did a fine job defending the ship and us but eventually the _Nemesis_ took too much damage and we had to evacuate. Soundwave was badly injured, last I heard he's still recovering in the medical bay here in the Autobot base, and there were some other casualties too. One of them was Blurr, the other one was Mrs. Darby." Miko gasped and reached out to touch Raf's shoulder, "Soundwave managed to bring her body back, but there was nothing he could do to save her."

"Jack?" Miko asked, not wanting to know but needing to ask anyway. Yes she ahd witnessed her parents' murder, but it had been by video and their bodies had been pulverized, it did not make it any less real but somehow she was removed from it. The thought of Jack holding his mother's body in his arms felt even worse then having seen her own parents reduced to a black scorch mark on a table.

Raf shook his head, "I don't know. He yelled up a storm, some of the stuff he said was very true but I know he hurt them with what he said, even Arcee wasn't free from his rage. He took Mrs. Darby away, Bumblebee told me that Arcee followed at a distance and watched him bury her outside, then he came back in and disappeared. Megatron told everyone to give him space and let him sort things out on his own for now." Raf drew in a ragged breath, "I found out that my dad was taken by Shockwave and that my family was moved and given aliases, all records of them kept on paper so that Shockwave can't hack it. Also, Orion Prime had some sort of mental breakdown and attacked Megatron, they had everyone get checked out again but I don't know what came after that since Bumblebee hasn't come back yet."

Miko frowned, pushed aside the sheet and blanket in order to swing her feet to the floor. She pushed herself up, swaying momentarily before she got her equilibrium back and tried walking a few steps. Returning back to the bed was the best idea and that was what she did. She glanced at Raf, the look on the boy's face was one she knew quite well, he was trying to decide if he should ignore what she was doing and continue tinkering around on his laptop or try telling her that staying put was doctor's orders and she should listen.

Miko sat on the bed and sighed. She felt numb inside, although the memory of her parents' death skirted around her mind, she found that only the smallest of tears prickled the corners of her eyes. "Raf," she whispered, "how did it come to this?"

{Medical Bay, Autobot Base}

Bulkhead was always the first to admit that he was not the brightest spark in the batch. He had never hesitated to demean his own efforts when it came to quick processor thinking, there were many brighter, wiser mechs and femmes than him and he preferred to just pound things into the ground. Acting first and letting others think through the mess had always worked for him in the past and he had never sought to change that, so why was it he found himself in a situation that did not require brawn but rather tact?

Bulkhead looked at the stirring frame of Wheeljack and huffed in irritation. This had to be the worst idea Megatron had ever come up with, and the fact that Bulkhead was going along with it had to make it even worse. Was not putting Wheeljack into stasis deemed the best way to keep the wrecker since they did not have time to properly address the atrocities he had had a servo in? What made Megatron think that Bulkhead could keep hid old friend from going into a fighting frenzy as soon as the Wrecker learned that Decepticons were crawling all over the base? No, this plan was due to fail, especially since it would require a lot of talking and Bulkhead was the only one in the room to do it. The big green mech just knew he would mess everything up.

Wheeljack blinked his optics sluggishly at first and his gaze sharpened as his memory bank kicked in. The demolition expert's frame stiffened before wrenching himself off the berth and against the adjoining wall in one swift motion, scanning the room for any other occupants and narrowing in on Bulkhead quickly.

"Bulk?" Wheeljack asked. "What happened? Why was I in stasis?"

"Jackie," Bulkhead stayed where he was, between the door and the berth, Wheeljack on the other side, no sudden moves was a good way to start. "A lot has happened, well even more so than what happened before you returned to Earth with Smokescreen. Listen, it's a lot to take in and I need you to listen before you blow a gasket."

While Bulkhead filled Wheeljack in on what had happened, on the other side of the door the rest of the group took turns pacing. Smokescreen had taken up position guarding the door to Orion's room, out of habit rather than need and more to follow his Elite Guard training than for any real purpose. The others milled about, each trying to work on something but finding their optics training on the door to Wheeljack's room more often than naught.

The only two not in the medical bay were Bumblebee and Arcee. Bumblebee had gone to check on Raf, only to com Megatron to tell him Miko was awake and coherent, if somewhat, understandably, subdued. Arcee had gone to check the base's security feeds for any sign of Jack, minding to keep her distance as per Megatron's order but wanting to reassure herself that he was all right.

Megatron was passing the time by going over battle strategies with Dreadwing. Depending on when and where they found Shockwave hiding they would need a plan of attack. Taking into account the fighting style of all the mechs and femme, Megatron was gaining a better picture of how best to use the fighters under his command in order to better protect one another's flanks but also make an impact into Shockwave's lair.

Starscream had been confined to the brig for the moment, as it was the only place they had room to put him where he could not get into any trouble. The ex-commander had gone meekly, thoroughly apologetic and sickened when Dreadwing had found the tracker wedged underneath a wing plate. Although Megatron had been relieved to learn that the _Nemesis_ had only been found because of the small device and the one reason for Shockwave throwing Starscream away was explained, it still irked the Decepticon leader that he and his mechs had gotten so careless and predictable that the scientist had been able to play them so well.

Still, what was done was done, and there was no going back to change it. Megatron had read something similar to those lines once, in one of Orion's favorite tablets, and there had also been the line that 'mistakes once made should not be forgotten but remembered and learned from in order to avoid making similar blunders later'.

Back in Wheeljack's room, Bulkhead drew his narration to a close, thankful that his friend had remained quiet. Indeed, Wheeljack had stood in a state of disbelief as Bulkhead had talked, his processor trying to refute what he was hearing. "But why was this not told to me at the beginning? Why was I put into stasis?"

"Wheeljack, they couldn't find the code in you that would have excused your actions if you had been under the council's control. Without that code in my circuits I look back on a lot of what the Wreckers did and see it completely different to how I did then. Do you remember, Jackie? The Decepticon medical personnel who were tending both Autobot and Decepticon wounded? Or the Decepticon femmes hiding in Kaon's underground? Wheeljack!" Bulkhead shouted, when his friend's attention had turned to the floor. "Do you remember what you ordered us to do whenever we saw an injured Decepticon?"

"Check for rank and execute if not a commander," Wheeljack stated quietly.

Bulkhead blinked, "Don't you feel any remorse for the things you made us do?"

"No," Wheeljack answered honestly. "I cannot feel remorse, Bulk, because the council erased all those 'interfering emotions' from my system along time ago." Wheeljack went to the berth and sat down, "I was the first for a new line of training the council wanted to try, without using any codes. They erased all the emotions they thought would keep me from acting as they wanted and then to test it they ordered me to kill my own family unit." Wheeljack heard Bulkhead's intake of air and continued, "I did it. I went into my home and killed them, I can't even remember their names but I know I made it as painless as possible. Not because I cared, but because I wanted it over with as soon as possible. After that I became the council's willing, obedient tool. They kept poking their servos in my workings again and again, tweaking their programming as they were determined to perfect me. When the war broke out they upped my anger and hatred and centered it around the Decepticons, I couldn't look at a Decepticon without falling into a murderous rage. With the forming of the Wreckers the council made me a loose cannon, always breaking Prime's war guidelines and taking you all with me. I'm messed up, Bulk, even the council realized that they had gone too far with me. The real reason I left the Wreckers is not because they were putting that pipsqueak, Untra Magnus, in charge, but because at the time I just didn't want to lead them anymore. Even you must have noticed how my moods would swing so rapidly, how I would myself when fighting and on several occasion almost kill an Autobot who got in my way. The fact I'm able to see this now and talk about it means someone has been poking around in my systems, right?"

Bulkhead nodded, "Ratchet."

Wheeljack snorted, "Good ol' doc." Wheeljack stood up and approached Bulkhead, "I don't feel anything now, Bulkhead, even now that you've told me there's a mess of Decepticons in the other room. I can't find it within myself to care about anything you've told me about."

"What about Miko?" Bulkhead asked, and Wheeljack narrowed his optics.

"What about her?"

"Lockdown murdered her parental units, Miko saw it through a video feed."

Wheeljack stiffened, his memories, jumbled as they were, played back the jumpy, happy little human femme who had gone with him to revenge Bulkhead when that Insecticon had gravely injured him. "I won't swear allegiance to Megatron, and I can't promise to agree with everything he or Prime does, but I swear to you Bulkhead, for that little girl, I'll reduce the mountains to rubble."

**Hug Vote:**

**Bumblebee – 23**

**Starscream – 14**

**Megatron – 8**

**Miko – 8**

**Soundwave – 8**

**Raf – 5**

**Orion – 4**

**Mckeown – 4**

**Roberto Esquivel(Raf's dad) – 2**

**Knockout – 1**

**Dreadwing – 1**

**Arcee – 1**

**Bulkhead – 1**

**Ratchet – 1**

**Jack – 1**

**Sunstreaker – 1**

**Sideswipe – 1**

**Vehicons - 1**

**Favorite character vote:**

**Bumblebee – 10**

**Megatron – 8**

**Soundwave – 6**

**Knockout – 5**

**Blurr – 2**

**Arcee – 1**

**Wheeljack – 1**

**Starscream – 1**

**Orion Prime – 1**

**Silas - 1**

**Faction vote:**

**Decepticons – 26**

**Autobots - 11**


	47. Final Battle Plans

**AN**: **Will faster updates mean more reviews?**

**Chapter summary: In which plans are made, a code deciphered and the hidden found.**

{Autobot Base – Jasper, Nevada}

With the base on lockdown, most of the Vehicons spent their time recharging in their alt modes wherever they could find the space. In an effort to make more space available, Sunstreaker and Sideswipe piled Vehicons on top on one another as they recharged and, oddly enough, their strategy worked. Even though the base had more occupants than it had originally been designed for, no one was being stepped over or bumped into.

A hush had fallen over the Autobot base, broken only by the beeps from consoles and whispered voices here and there. Somehow the Autobots and Decepticons found things to keep themselves busy or from going stir-crazy, sparring being a pastime that many of them took part in. There was a silent, mutual agreement between the two factions to tiptoe around Megatron and Soundwave. Soundwave earned this treatment because he was buried cable deep in video and audio feeds, running every program he knew through the system to find Shockwave's lair. The only time anyone disturbed him was to bring him a cube of energon, the supply of which had had to be rationed until the wreckage of the _Nemesis_ could be salvaged for more fuel. Megatron was given a wide berth because the mech's attitude was testy, at best. If he was not in the medical bay checking up on the medics' progress with Orion's deletion procedure, than he was pacing up and down the hallways or brooding in the hub.

Only a few times had Dreadwing been able to entice his mentor to spar, but he left the task of reminding the warlord to refuel up to Bumblebee. It seemed the only one who could approach Megatron, never mind his mood, was the little scout, a fact that did not make Dreadwing jealous. On the contrary, the ex-gladiator was glad Bumblebee had a positive effect on Megatron, it boded well for whenever his leader's mood might sour all Dreadwing had to do was sent the small scout in.

Wheeljack had done his best not to butt heads with any of the Decepticons. In fact, upon being released from the medical bay, the demolitions expert spent most of his time with Bulkhead and rarely went anywhere alone. He had tried to talk to Miko, but had found her so different from the girl he used to know that he could not go back to visit her.

Miko spent the passing days recovering in Arcee's room, mostly because Bulkhead felt ill equipped to deal with the traumatized youngling. Her schedule was haphazard; she slept most of the time and ate or walked around when she awoke. When she cried out in her sleep, screaming for mercy from her nightmares, Arcee would do her best to comfort the little girl. Knockout refused to give Miko any drugs, saying they would only suppress the memories and that would not help the girl deal with the effects. He also did not want Miko to become dependent on the drugs, he believed that as young and strong as Miko was she would be able to heal but she must be allowed to do so at her own pace.

Raf, when not with Bumblebee, assisted Soundwave in the control room. The little boy was not sure exactly how much of a help he was being, but the seeker did not mind his presence so Raf kept coming, glad to have something to do. The two worked in a comfortable silence, nothing but the sounds of typing from the two different keyboards to fill the room.

Yet not everything was working out so well in the Autobot base.

Arcee, while not tending to Miko, was ready to drive herself up a wall. She had been trying to keep an optic on Jack, and leave food out for him but there was precious little else she could do. Aside from a few glimpses on the security cameras, Arcee saw nothing of Jack and had no idea if he was taking proper care of himself or even eating the food she left out and not dumping it somewhere. Arcee was beside herself, and if she did not beg Megatron with her vocals every time she saw him she at least did it with her optics.

Megatron was not indifferent to Arcee's looks and after two days he broke down. Or rather, he had enough and decided to do something about it. Sternly telling Arcee to park it somewhere, Megatron, after gently pushing Bumblebee aside, went off into the depths of the base to look for Jack Darby.

"Jackson Darby show yourself!" Megatron called out, as he walked down the hallway. According to the security tapes, Jack was somewhere in this area and the Decepticon leader was going to do everything he could to flush the human out. "Is this how you spend the rest of your days? Hiding from your friends? Wallowing in self-inflicted misery? How much longer will your mourn in the darkness of your mind? Continue to shut out those who would help you?" Megatron scanned the pipes that ran along the hallway, looking into the dark crevices and he snorted, "Have you truly become such a coward? Where is the boy who stood up like a man to beings taller and stronger than he and shouted bitter truths to their faces?" receiving no answer, nor indication of movement, Megatron changed tactics as he turned away, "Your mother would be ashamed of you."

"Don't you talk about my mother!" Megatron hid his grin as he turned back and saw Jack Darby climbing out of a cubbyhole. "She was a better person than you'll ever be!"

"Possibly," Megatron conceded, "but she's dead, boy, and nothing can bring her back." The Decepticon leader took in Jack's disheveled state, the red-rimmed eyes and the gaunt, angry expression. "You have two choices, Jackson Darby, I suggest you choose wisely. You can stay here and continue to push away those who care about you, distracting your guardian who needs a processor free from guilt over you in order to function properly, and allow yourself to fall into a state of disrepair that could take months to recover from. Or you pick yourself up, like the man you showed me you could be, allow your friends to help you, and assist others in healing as well." Megatron crouched down, his red optics narrowing, "Do not, for a single moment, think that you are the only one in this base who has suffered a great loss. Many of us had to grow up without our parental units to watch over us, and the only thing we could do was try to honor their memories by upholding their teachings and living our lives in the hopes that they would be proud of us. Mourn your mother, Jackson, but never stop living your life."

Megatron stood up and left the boy standing there in the hallway. The warlord did not expect Jack to follow him immediately, he knew, from experience with his own troops, that the boy would need a little time to think his way through everything Megatron had said, and only then would he act. For his own part, Megatron remembered very little of his own parental units, just that they had been slaves, like him, and both had died before he was a vorn old.

Surprisingly, it took less than a day for Jack to emerge from his hiding spot and seek out Arcee. She welcomed him with a smile, and, after listening to his apology, gently ordered him to take a shower while she looked around for a pair of clean clothes for him. Miko and Raf were excited to see Jack again, and the rest of the base sighed in gratitude as Miko smiled for the first time since her parents' death.

The crew morale restored, Megatron grabbed Dreadwing and the Twins and locked the door. Planning out attack strategies was difficult when you were not sure what terrain you would be fighting in, so Megatron ordered battle plans for every type of terrain and weather condition. It was fun, for the Twins at least, and the hours went by quickly as plan after plan was drawn up and gone over between the four mechs.

For his part, Soundwave finally thought he was making progress. Knowing Shockwave had human prisoners helped narrow down the search grid a little bit, as the scientist would have to obtain food and water for the humans so Soundwave sent a search pattern for large shipments of food and water that would be an irregular movement and his waiting paid off.

There were several shipments over the past few weeks that had been large, most of which had been kept off the grid. It was a simple matter then to start backtracking the shipments and see which ones followed a pattern and which ones had been sudden. It was a process that had to be done carefully, and Soundwave was glad he was one of the most patient mechs in the base, or otherwise his computer might be in danger of being smashed.

Not for the first time did Soundwave lament the fall of the _Nemesis_. While the Autobots had done their best with the technology they had, still the Decepticons' ship had had a better range and faster computer output. Still, the wait allowed Soundwave to rest and he took advantage of it.

Even though he was expecting an alert, when it actually came through it startled Soundwave. He quickly accessed the alert and watched with rapt attention as a list was displayed on the screen, each item listed was then highlighted and moved into another section. Shipments that were regular, legitimate schedules were highlighted green and deleted, those that were illegal but also regular were highlighted red and then moved, and then there were the irregular shipments that were highlighted yellow. Soundwave studied those carefully, looking at where they were headed and how sudden they had been.

"_If you want Shockwave then look where you would not go._"

That was what Silas had said to Megatron, and Soundwave had a sinking suspicion he knew what the human had meant. According to the satellites, there had only been one, very large shipment up into the frozen plains of northern Russia. The town it was going to was the last outpost that far up in that country but Soundwave was not fool enough to believe that he had found Shockwave's hideout so soon.

The scientist was too cagey to have such a direct route leading to his lair; in all probability Shockwave had had someone pick up the shipment once it reached the Russian town. Soundwave could not see Lockdown doing such a menial task, the likelihood of more than the bounty hunter helping Shockwave was something they would have to keep in mind and prepare for. As well as the possibility of that those mechs, or femmes, might not be doing so of their own free will.

While Soundwave narrowed in on Shockwave's location, Jack walked into Arcee's quarters to see Miko busily taping pictures to the wall. "What are you doing, Miko?"

Miko smiled, albeit a little sadly, "Arcee showed me how I could download pictures from my phone and Facebook and print them out. I printed every picture I could find of my parents," she took a step back to admire the collage that was slowly taking shape. "I don't want to forget what they looked like." She picked up one photo from the pile, "See this one? This is from when they came over to America with me; we stopped several times along the way to Nevada to see many of the famous sites. Like the Nagara Falls, and here when we went to Mount Rushmore. I remember I complained about going t such a backwater town like Jasper when there were so many other fascinating places to see."

Miko turned back to her project and Jack watched for a few minutes before pulling out his phone. He snapped a picture of Miko, as she balanced precariously on a chair to tape a picture at the top of the collage. She turned to look at him, one eyebrow raising and Jack smiled. "Just recording a memory." He then sat cross-legged as he flipped through the pictures on his phone, deleting the ones that were unimportant, like of a car or motorbike he had fancied owning one day. There were several sunset photos but he deleted those too, he could always look at the sunset after all. When he came to the few pictures he had taken of his mom, Jack paused and went through each one slowly, trying to remember where he had taken them and why.

{Megatron's War Room – Autobot Base}

Megatron liked what he was seeing, finally something he could understand and knew how to deal with. The battle plans the Twins and Dreadwing had helped draw up were impressive, and running them through the simulation runs helped lift the dark cloud from around Megatron. He felt lighter, like they really stood a chance to take down Shockwave and he could feel his gears aching to take a crack at it.

Everything was ready, all they needed was a location and for that Megatron had the utmost faith in Soundwave to find.

_Think of the rust bucket_, Megatron thought, as Soundwave entered the war room at fast walk. Without waiting for anyone to say anything, Soundwave sent a cable to commandeer the simulation computer and rework it to show a map of Russia and selected an area in red to zoom in on.

"Is that—?" Sideswipe began, but Megatron cut him off.

"You've found him?"

Soundwave nodded. "Are you sure?" Dreadwing asked, and the telepathic seeker looked in his direction, visor blank. "Of course, you're sure, I did not mean to imply that you are not thorough, Soundwave, but need I remind you that you did think you had found Shockwave once before."

Soundwave rolled his shoulder joints and stepped toward Dreadwing. Although the skinnier seeker was shorter than Megatron's second-in-command, he did not let his height disadvantage from keeping him getting his point across.

"Enough," Megatron said. "Soundwave, verify the coordinates one more time, while the rest of us get prepared. I want the ground bridge at full capacity, use whatever energy you can reroute to it. We will strike and strike hard, there will be let up once we attack and I do not want to give Shockwave any chance to recover during our assault."

**AN: So, there's an end to the filler in chapters and relaxation, I promise there will be action next chapter, a lot of action will be following, and things are going to move forward. **

**Hug Vote:**

**Bumblebee – 23**

**Starscream – 14**

**Megatron – 8**

**Miko – 8**

**Soundwave – 8**

**Raf – 5**

**Orion – 4**

**Mckeown – 4**

**Roberto Esquivel(Raf's dad) – 2**

**Knockout – 1**

**Dreadwing – 1**

**Arcee – 1**

**Bulkhead – 1**

**Ratchet – 1**

**Jack – 1**

**Sunstreaker – 1**

**Sideswipe – 1**

**Vehicons - 1**

**Favorite character vote:**

**Bumblebee – 10**

**Megatron – 8**

**Soundwave – 6**

**Knockout – 5**

**Blurr – 2**

**Arcee – 1**

**Wheeljack – 1**

**Starscream – 1**

**Orion Prime – 1**

**Silas - 1**

**Faction vote:**

**Decepticons – 26**

**Autobots - 11**


	48. Before the Final Battle

**AN: A big thank you to all my loyal reviewers who stuck with me no matter how long the updates took. You guys(and girls) are the best! For those who have favorite and followed, if you're still sticking around, I hope you've found each chapter worth it.**

{Warning: entering battle zone, please stay low as to avoid enemy fire}

Megatron quickly grabbed the turret's gun barrel and pushed it down, smirking as Bumblebee followed suite and together they managed to bend it out of shape. The turret and the three others like it had already taken out a few Vehicons before Megatron had reached it but now Shockwave was one turret down. Megatron and Bumblebee quickly jumped back as the turret fired again, but with the barrel out of commission the turret blew itself up.

Sideswipe and Sunstreaker were pinned down before the cave's entrance. Lasers from the sentry guns rained down upon them, their only shelter the rocky landscape that was being blown to bits. Rock fragments hailed down almost as fast as the lasers did and neither Twin could do more than stay in their alt modes, which were easier to find cover with. Retreat was impossible, as was advancement; they could only hope that by keeping the laser fire on themselves that someone else would be able to approach the cave.

Dreadwing and his squad of fighters were zooming back and forth in the air; drawing what fire they could and returning it post haste. No one dared stay still for even if there was not the fear of being shot down there was also the danger of joints freezing up. The cold wind was already putting a sheet of ice on the wing tips of several Vehicons, so Dreadwing made sure they dived quite often and shifted their wing flaps to keep them from icing over.

Wheeljack and Bulkhead worked as a team to approach one of the turrets, returning fire and even throwing big rocks to distract the turret. Its head swiveled from left to right and Wheeljack felt sure he had seen a weak spot. "Bulk! Keep it busy!"

Smokescreen heard Wheeljack and managed to help lend a servo at keeping the turret from firing on the demolitions expert. Wheeljack circled around until he could scale up the mountain a ways and then come back down, on top of the turret. Smacking a grenade down on its head, Wheeljack tucked and jumped away in time to avoid the following explosion.

Bulkhead did not rejoice along with Smokescreen, he had only now seen the Twins predicament and knew they could not hold out much longer. Yelling for Wheeljack to follow, Bulkhead ran to the cave's entrance. Coming from the side as he was, Bulkhead was certain he could get close enough to fight on the sentry guns before they became aware of his presence.

This plan would have worked, had Shockwave not had more tricks hidden beneath his plating.

Just as Bulkhead was nearing the cave's entrance a long metal cable came whipping from between some rocks and coiled around the big mech's leg, pulling him off balance. Before he knew it there was a mass of cables encircling him, pulling his arms away and keeping his legs from being any use. Two more cables reached for his chest plates, pulling them apart and a third cable danced high above the others, looking ready to descend upon him. To Bulkhead's dismay he recognized the end of the cable as being a spark extractor and it was coming straight for his now exposed spark chamber.

"Bulk!"

{Autobot Base – Jasper, Nevada, 5 hours ago}

Megatron would have been lying if he had told anyone that he had not felt a thrill of excitement shoot up his spark but as no one asked him he did not have to deny when he was feeling. It was going to end soon. One way or another, this whole affair would end and no longer plague either the Decepticons or Autobots. Bumblebee was clearly ready to go forth, his frame shifting from one ped to another a clear indication that if the command were not given soon he would most likely blow a gasket.

They had found Shockwave! The thought of this rippled through the minds and processors of all present in the hub, some still in disbelief and others ready to take a whack at the scientist whose actions had caused them so much grief. The time for sitting around and taking it easy was over, the time to strike was now and all optics looked towards Megatron, waiting for the signal.

Jack, Miko and Raf were up on the platform closest to where Soundwave stood near the screens and gate bridge controls. Due to him still recovering from his wounds, Knockout had refused to clear Soundwave for combat, a decision that had left the telepath very upset yet he did not throw a fuss. There were bigger things to fight about than who was or was not going. Knockout was going, in the role of field medic so as to patch up anyone who could keep fighting. If they were too injured he would send them through the ground bridge to Ratchet's waiting servos.

Wheeljack cracked the knuckle joints of his servos and looked at Bulkhead with a wicked grin. The prospect of fighting always got the demolition expert's spark thrumming and he could barely wait to punch something worth hitting. The dual swords on his back had been sharpened, having dulled due to Wheeljack being out of commission for some weeks, but they were ready now to slice through even the toughest Cybertronian metal.

The wards were allowed one final goodbye before the mechs and femme set off, and the children made their way to their perspective guardians. Arcee and Jack were kind of stiff with one another, both wanting to say more but not certain if the setting was right. Jack merely nodded at Arcee, and told her to kick Shockwave into the shadow zone, Arcee told him no problem. Bumblebee and Raf had no walls between then and the scout happily hugged the little boy to his chest. They murmured to one another, trying to keep some level of privacy to their conversation but those around them were doing their best not to listen anyway.

For her part, Miko held onto Bulkhead's chest plate with as tight a grip as she could manage. Tears pricking her eyes, Miko blinked up at Bulkhead and tried to smile, "Just come back to me, big guy, that's all I ask. You're al I have now, and…and I need you. Without you, who's going to help me skip school or play pranks?"

Bulkhead grumbled but smiled down at her anyway, "School's important, Miko. Even though I never finished doesn't me you shouldn't."

"Well come back and make me," Miko said saucily.

"I'll make sure that he does, kiddo," Wheeljack said, "you can count on me."

Once the children had returned to their platform, Megatron stepped forward and looked to Soundwave. The slighter seeker nodded in confirmation that they were ready and so the Decepticon warlord turned to his troops. "You all know the battle plan, you all have your own set of orders, but let me stress how important it is to keep to what I and my advisors," he nodded in the Twins' and Dreadwing's direction, "have come up with. No one goes anywhere alone, even out in the midst of the battlefield you must stay with at least one other mech. Alone we will be too easy to be picked off, only together can we watch each other's backs and make it inside Shockwave's lair. I want it understood that none of you are to take on Shockwave or Lockdown on your own, they're out of your class and they certainly won't give you a fighting chance. We know Shockwave has human prisoners but we don't know what he is doing with them, keep an optic out for them and if you can get them out." He glanced at Raf, whose large brown eyes were gazing at him with a little bit of fear, "If Shockwave is controlling them, then we will break his hold. I will not lie that the battle ahead of us will not be without loss, that we will not lose any of our friends or those we see as family," his red optics found Bumblebee and Dreadwing, "but even though each of our future are uncertain, I am willing to step through the gate bridge. I am willing to take on Shockwave, even if it means my death, in the hopes of stopping him from destroying what remains of our people and this earth we have been forced to call home. I do not make empty promises, so I cannot promise you that we will win, I cannot promise you that you will return here alive. So, I will not force anyone to follow me, I will give you this one chance to stay or follow me. Who is with me?"

Dreadwing and Bumblebee were the first to shout "I am!" but soon the rest of those assembled followed suite. Megatron smiled, "All ready our united effort will surprise Shockwave, for not even he could fathom our alliance or hope to understand why we have remained together after all he has thrown at us."

Megatron turned to Soundwave, "Fire up the ground bridge."

Soundwave obeyed the order, pushing the lever down by which the rings of the ground bridge were activated and soon the swirling greenish blue light had opened. Megatron was the first through, quickly transforming into his alt mode and his team followed his lead. Bumblebee did a spin as he transformed, saluting off to Raf before sliding with ease into his car form and driving through the portal.

"Showoff," Knockout grumbled from his place in the line, but he did his own mock salute to the children when it was his turn.

The exit pace was fast, drones and regulars moving with great speed to get through the ground bridge. Everyone stayed in their assigned group, yet they were blinking through the energy field at a quick rate and the more that went the heavier the children felt. Arcee did a twirl as she transformed into her bike form, riding up the sides of the tunnel before vanishing.

Wheeljack's and Bulkhead's group was the last to go through, as they were the heavy hitters and the demotion expert took the lead. Bulkhead was at the back and he turned to look at Miko one past time before transforming and revving his engines to full power. Then he was gone, and Soundwave was closing down the gate bridge.

Ratchet came up from the spot he had occupied so as to be out of the way and stood beside Soundwave. Together, the two mechs and the children watched the screens as Megatron's group lead the others in a diamond shaped attack pattern. The Decepticon warlord was going straight ahead while the other sides would push ahead once they got closer and the attack pattern would change.

Jack wrapped one arm around Raf's shoulders and clutched Miko's palm with his free hand. Soundwave saw this out of the corner of his optics but he did not move, he was making his own plans for there was no way he was sitting out this fight. All he needed to do was ditch Ratchet long enough to activate the ground bridge and fly through before the medic was wise to him.

Soundwave only required an opening, the waiting for which would require patience, but the telepath was nothing if not patient.

**AN: So, when I got to Megatron's speech I hit writer's block so I got up and walked around, apparently I did it enough to catch my sister's attention.**

**Sister: What are you doing?**

**Me: I'm trying to figure out how to word Megatron's speech for my online story.**

**Sister: Oh, so you need an evil speech?**

**Me: No, Megatron's not evil.**

**Sister: I thought he was.**

**Me: Not in my story.**

**Sister: Oh, so not in your story. Wait, does that mean you made Optimus Prime bad?**

**Me: Well, not really, he's not evil, except he's not Optimus Prime, he's Orion Prime.**

**Sister: So this is before he became Optimus?**

**Me: No, this is after.**

**Sister: …I think you're going to have to read your story to me.**

**Me: That could take awhile.**

**Hug Vote:**

**Bumblebee – 23**

**Starscream – 14**

**Megatron – 8**

**Miko – 8**

**Soundwave – 8**

**Raf – 5**

**Mckeown – 5**

**Orion – 4**

**Roberto Esquivel(Raf's dad) – 2**

**Knockout – 1**

**Dreadwing – 1**

**Arcee – 1**

**Bulkhead – 1**

**Ratchet – 1**

**Jack – 1**

**Sunstreaker – 1**

**Sideswipe – 1**

**Vehicons – 1**

**Wheeljack - 1**

**Favorite character vote:**

**Bumblebee – 10**

**Megatron – 8**

**Soundwave – 6**

**Knockout – 5**

**Blurr – 2**

**Arcee – 1**

**Wheeljack – 1**

**Starscream – 1**

**Orion Prime – 1**

**Silas - 1**

**Faction vote:**

**Decepticons – 26**

**Autobots - 11**


	49. The Final Battle part 1

**AN: Okay, so I had a crazy thought and no idea why I thought this but it's a story idea and anyone who wants to give it a go I'd be willing to work with. Anyway, what if the Twilight characters were in the Star Trek universe? The vampires being the Romulans, the shapeshifters being the Klingons, and the humans actually doing stuff that made us proud of our race. Bella also has to have some life in her, i.e. emotions and the like, you know, like you really care about her and want the readers to care about her too. **

**Chapter Summary: A friend lost, a resolution made and ground gained**

{Upper Russia – beyond last known outpost of human population}

{Location: Outside Shockwave's Lair}

{Situation: Under Siege by Autobot/Decepticon forces}

_Megatron knew the Autobots and Decepticons were gathering for the attack on Shockwave's lair, but he needed to take a few moments to speak with Orion before departing. Looking down at his friend's inert form on the medical berth, Megatron was reminded of the weight of responsibility he now bore since Orion was unable to lead. He now had to handle all military and political issues on his own, once again. _

_ He would not deny that he had gotten used to sharing the weight of leadership with Orion, it had felt so right. Not to mention Orion had had a knack of talking to Cybertronians in a way Megatron had never been able to master, it was a skill Orion had not been using as well as he had before and Megatron felt foolish for not seeing the mental decay his friend was undergoing right in front of him. All that was past now and he could no longer afford to mentally berate himself over his failing, he had to press on, as he had always done._

_ "I have to lead your soldiers into battle, Orion," Megatron said, resting a servo on Orion's shoulder plate. "They are not my soldiers, I know this, they are merely on loan to me and you old self would not be happy having even this small number looking to you for leadership. Still, the place must be filled and you know I am not one to shirk responsibility. I will lead them well, I have drawn up battle plans by which, if they are followed, should guarantee the safety of your Autobots. Yet I cannot fool myself, nor you, by promising to bring them all home alive, you and I know such a promise is too easily broken on the battlefield. However, I will promise to bring them home, even those who fall will be brought back and not allowed to rust in so barren a place nor so close to where our enemy made his lair. I will end Shockwave, with my own life if necessary, and none here at the base will have to fear any reprisals from him should our allied front fail. Soundwave will stay to protect them, and you know as well as I that he will die first before allowing any harm to come to them. Farewell, my friend, my brother, may we meet again in the Well of the Allspark if our paths shall not cross on this plane again."_

Megatron saw it, but even though he brought his cannon to bear he knew he was not fast enough. Bumblebee did not see it, too busy watching Megatron's back to notice what was happening across the battlefield. In such a situation as this, to offer aid would have been as impossible for him as it was for the Decepticon leader.

The Twins did not see, bogged down as they were they could do little but remain in their alt modes and keep the guns at the cave's entrance trained on them. Even if they had seen it, they would have been powerless to stop it from happening. Such are the circumstances in war; no matter how much one may fight it is still possible to fail in protecting the lives of friends in such a chaotic environment.

Dreadwing, leading his squadrons through the sky, did not notice either, but he again could hardly be faulted. Intent as the air commander was on keeping the Vehicon seekers together and not losing any to the turret gunfire or the freezing elements, he was barely able to process what his sensors were picking up from the ground as it was, simply noting where friendlies were but not the situations they were in.

Wheeljack did see the danger, and he was the closest to offer aid, yet even he could not have reached the green mech in time. Without hesitation, the demolition expert drew his swords and sprang forward, focused solely on helping his friend that he did not see the danger coming towards him. Cables sprang from behind another rock and grabbed him, pulling the ex-Wrecker to the ground.

Bulkhead saw his doom, hardly able to miss it really since it was right in front of him, and he was utterly helpless to stop it from happening. Pinned down as he was by the thick metal cables, the large mech was painfully reminded that even great strength could not be counted on to ensure one's safety all the time.

Sometimes when we see death approaching time seems to slow down, a second drawn out to a minute as we see the final stroke coming but are incapable to stop it. For some, they see their lives flash before their eyes, for others their minds drift to loved ones who they wish they could see one last time, some have just enough time to see, comprehend and perhaps accept the inevitable outcome with dignity. Then there are those who have no warning, no idea that their lives are about to end or even have the chance to reconcile themselves to the closing of their existences.

For Bulkhead, he saw, knew what was about to happen and accepted it. There was no cry of denial, no plea offered that his destiny could be changed or exchanged with someone else's. This was the end, and Bulkhead knew it, knew and accepted it with a grim determination that had become his signature look whenever the former Wrecker had come up against a particular tough obstacle to overcome. A face flashed through his processor, and he found that he was not worried about his ward for he knew there were those who would look after little Miko in his stead.

Then it happened, the move so fast and deadly that it was over in the space of two seconds.

The spark extractor opened its fanged mouth and descended, at the same time the cables holding Bulkhead pulled up. The big green mech was jerked up, meeting the descending the spark extractor halfway and the sinister tool wrapped itself around the Bulkhead's spark and heaved upwards. The ex-Wrecker grunted, his frame jerking from the harsh removal before his limbs sagged and his blue optics dimmed. The spark extractor reared back, displaying its prize to those of the allied forces who had witnessed the act. Before anyone could react, Shockwave's little tool crushed the delicate spark between its sharp jaws, sending small, glowing splinters flying in all directions.

Those who had been ignorant of Bulkhead's predicament did not remain unaware of his passing. Wheeljack, acting quickly with his swords to cut through the metal cables, saw the death of his friend and for the first time in over a thousand years felt an emotion well up inside of him. He released it in a scream of outrage, anger surging in his spark for justice.

A blast from Megatron's cannon, too slow to save Bulkhead, smashed into the spark extractor and it fell to the ground in a pulverized mess.

Everyone on the battlefield felt the death of Bulkhead, their losses so minimal up to that point that the weight of the battle had not truly settled yet. Now, with so obvious a loss before their optics, the invading army felt a renewal of purpose. No more wasting time teasing with this dangerous enemy, now they had to strike hard and push through.

Dreadwing led his squadrons down on the mountain, firing volleys of lasers and dropping bombs to throw the hidden lair into a state of disarray. Wheeljack, now free from the cables, was on his peds again and ran past Bulkhead's frame without sparing his fallen friend a glance, priming a grenade as he did so. Hefting it up, the demolition expert threw the grenade at the cave entrance and hit the dirt in order to ride out the blast's shockwave.

The grenade exploded and with it the laser guns that had kept the Twins from advancing. Although the way was now cleared, minus some debris that had fallen as a result of the explosion, there was no cheering among the allied ranks. They rendezvoused at the cave's entrance; the Autobots of the group gazing mournfully at Bulkhead's fallen frame while the Decepticons kept a watchful optic out for anymore hidden surprises that Shockwave might have lying around.

While Megatron was not going to pretend he was sparkbroken at the death of Bulkhead, he was grieved by the fall though. His oath to Orion hung wrapped around his spark and they had not even breached Shockwave's lair before an Autobot had fallen! If only Bulkhead had stuck to the plan, but the situation was pass 'if' and they must move on. "Come, we must press forward while we still hold the offensive. We shall retrieve Bulkhead's frame after Shockwave and Lockdown have been dealt with."

"Don't you dismiss his death like it was nothing!" Arcee shouted, mad at herself and the stupid battle plan that had kept her so far away from saving her friend.

"I am not," Megatron asserted, "but take a care that you do not assume that I am sparkless. You have seen enough battles, Arcee, to know that pausing as we are doing is dangerous. You go forward, or you die here, the choice is yours."

It was not a difficult choice, simply one that required the Autobots to steel themselves before following their impromptu leader.

The debris was cleared from the entrance and everyone's weapons were charged and held at the ready. Shockwave knew he was outnumbered and no doubt had plenty of hidden traps around his lair to better even the odds in his favor. However, the allied forces were not mindless automatons and would not be caught unawares again, they were all on their guard now, every sensor on the alert for danger.

Above the ground troops Dreadwing's squadrons circled, their bombing run over. While Megatron led those on the ground inside, Dreadwing would keep an optic out for anyone fleeing the mountain by way of any exits that were not right away visible. Hopefully he would be able to join in on the fighting inside should Shockwave and Lockdown decide to stand and fight.

Megatron led the way into Shockwave's lair, Bumblebee right behind him. The remaining Autobots and Vehicons followed in behind them, each watching making sure the other was covered as they made their way into what was most assuredly a death trap. Shockwave may not have been expecting to be found, but that did not mean he would not have a welcome wagon prepared in the event that he was.

{Autobot Base – you know where it is}

Soundwave saw the death of Bulkhead, and his spark clenched in anger. He of course had not been so foolish as to allow any live feeds to be displayed on the computer screens, the children did not need to witness the battle and so Miko did not see her guardian's death. Yet she did see his life signature disappear off of the grid and her cry of disbelief had burned Soundwave's audios.

She was weeping on the couch now, wrapped in Jack's and Raf's arms. Ratchet had not been present, tending to the injured Vehicons as he was, and so he was ignorant of the death and the trauma it had caused. Even though Soundwave technically could jump through the ground bridge now and no one could stop him he did not do so. The time was not right.

His entrance on the battlefield must be completely unsuspected. Let Shockwave and Lockdown assume that he was either dead or too injured to fight, he would show them how wrong they had been to mess with him, to kill Sparknight and bring down the _Nemesis_. His revenge had been a long time in planning, it could wait a little longer.

Looking at the crying girl, Soundwave found himself sympathetic for the human. She was truly orphaned now, but she was not alone, of that not even Megatron would take from her. Soundwave also, no matter how annoying he had found Miko Nakadai, would not force her away from the Cybertronians simply because she now had no ties to them. It would be simple enough to find her another guardian, but one she could bond with and who would take responsibility for her, now that would take a little more processor work.

An idea was forming in Soundwave's thoughts, and the more it spun the more he liked it.

**AN: Come on reviewers! We are so close to 500!**

**Hug Vote:**

**Bumblebee – 23**

**Starscream – 14**

**Megatron – 8**

**Miko – 8**

**Soundwave – 8**

**Raf – 5**

**Mckeown – 5**

**Orion – 4**

**Roberto Esquivel(Raf's dad) – 2**

**Knockout – 1**

**Dreadwing – 1**

**Arcee – 1**

**Bulkhead – 1**

**Ratchet – 1**

**Jack – 1**

**Sunstreaker – 1**

**Sideswipe – 1**

**Vehicons – 1**

**Wheeljack - 1**

**Favorite character vote:**

**Bumblebee – 10**

**Megatron – 8**

**Soundwave – 6**

**Knockout – 5**

**Blurr – 2**

**Arcee – 1**

**Wheeljack – 1**

**Starscream – 1**

**Orion Prime – 1**

**Silas - 1**

**Faction vote:**

**Decepticons – 26**

**Autobots - 11**


	50. The Final Battle part 2

***Dodges angry fans over Bulkhead's death*** **Well, at least I know I still have your attention.** **Bulkhead was never a favorite character of mine but for those of you who really like Bulkhead all you have to do is watch TFP and you'll see the big lug safe and sound. Ok, on with the story.**

**Soundwave555: To be honest I kinda forgot about Laserbeak, so I guess he does need a hug, lol.**

**Guest(1): Thank you for the review, glad you liked my story, hope you stick around.**

**Guest(2): Thanks for the review, and the compliment. I will try not to disappoint. **

**Chapter Summary: The human element, and Shockwave's femmes**

{Inside Shockwave's Lair – Russia}

Bumblebee walked behind Megatron, his optics scanning his surroundings intently. Whatever he had been expecting Shockwave's lair to look like was definitely not what he was seeing now. It was not dark, for one thing, long lines of blue lighting tubes ran up and down along the ceiling and floor of the hallway, illuminating everything in a bluish glow that was slightly eerie. Bumblebee thought the lighting was deliberate, most probably a bid from Shockwave to mess with their heads.

Judging by the tenseness Bumblebee could practically feel rolling off of Megatron, the Decepticon warlord was also not too keenly happy about this environment. Fighting in such close quarters as this was never an ideal situation for Cybertronians, but Bumblebee held out on hope that there would be larger rooms to allow movement without having to bump into one another just ahead. Shockwave was a large mech after all and could not be stupid enough to enclose himself in a mountain without the means to move around to fight.

Bumblebee tried his best to keep his processor on the task at hand, and not to wander back to what he and the Autobots had left outside. Bulkhead's lifeless frame, the shards of the shattered spark lying in the snow, their glowing light fading. If only time had not been so pressing, then Bumblebee might have been able to do something for his deceased friend, instead of leaving his frame there like some broken, discarded piece of machinery that was just no longer useful. Bumblebee was not so naïve however not to understand Megatron's reasoning, or how dangerous it would have been, not to mention stupid, to stand out in the open like that just to mourn his friend's passing.

This was not the first time that Bumblebee had seen his friends fall on a battlefield, and even though he felt their loss keenly, somehow, this time, it felt even heavier. Perhaps because there were already so few Cybertronians left that losing one of the good ones hit harder than it had previously. A dear friend like Bulkhead, to fall so soon after Blurr… Bumblebee wrenched his processor away from such thoughts; he could ill afford to be distracted in such a place.

The Vehicon grounders had been left at the entrance of the cave, set with orders to dismantle any of Shockwave's remaining traps and to make sure that neither Shockwave nor Lockdown could escape from that route. While the Vehicons added much needed fire support, Megatron knew that in a close quarters battle they would be swiftly wiped out by such mechs like Shockwave and Lockdown. No, it was better to only take with him the mechs, and femme, who could do more than fight. Besides, who knew what else the scientist had lurking in this lair? The Decepticon leader was not so foolish as to believe that it would just be Shockwave and the bounty hunter to contend with, no, there would be others. Twisted mechs like Shockwave always drew like-minded allies out of the subspace, and there were more than plenty of mechs wandering the vastness of space who had a grudge against Megatron.

{High Above Shockwave's Lair}

After Megatron and other ranking fighters had disappeared into the mountain, several turrets had sprung up and had opened fire on Dreadwing and his seeker squads. The laser fire was heavy and lit up the cloudy sky, anyone looking in that direction would have seen streams of red and orange zoom up and explode, and certainly the Russian military was probably going crazy and most likely had already steered a satellite towards the area in order to find out what was going on.

When the turrets had opened up fire, Dreadwing had ordered his seekers to drop altitude and to stay close to the ground of the mountain as they avoided the attack. The heads of these turrets had more spinning control and so could follow the seekers no matter which way they went, this proved as much as an advantage to the Decepticons and also a disadvantage at the same time. While they could escape being targeted as they zoomed across the mountain, the seekers could use the turrets against one another. Automated as they were, the turrets could not stop firing once their programming had been enacted to center in on their targets. And if their targets happened to fly past another turret, well, even if living beings had been operating the control they would have been hard pressed to lay off firing in time not to destroy one another.

Knowing that the turrets had come up out of the ground, Dreadwing directed that even when a turret was destroyed the area should still be fired upon. His thinking was that the area would be weaker and no doubt there would be a shaft from which the turret had been raised up from and so firing down would weaken the structure of those shafts. Any damage they could do from above would certainly irritate Shockwave, and Dreadwing counted that as a step in the right direction.

Banking to the left, Dreadwing's sensors spotted a shielded area nestled amongst the rocks, very easy to miss. Getting a closer look the aerial commander was surprised to find that it was the locking scope for Shockwave's ground bridge system. Every ground bridge or space bridge needed a locking scope in order for the bridge to be opened up to a specific location, without it a person could be sent anywhere on the planet.

Smiling a devilish grin, Dreadwing armed his most powerful rockets and opened fire on the shield. He ordered his wing mates to do likewise, and soon there was a hail of lasers and rockets descending on the shield from all sides as the seekers made their passes. Dreadwing had them fire on the surrounding area as well, so the ground beneath the shield would collapse.

He had figured rightly that beneath the shield was not on solid ground, but rather on a network of tunnels and shafts that had been made in order to reach the shield and locking scope so that they could be maintained. Taking away that support would leave the shielding unit and locking scope no choice but to collapse upon itself.

{Inside Shockwave's Lair}

The winding tunnel leading into Shockwave's lair was very long, and there were no passages leading off it until the allied forces had walked a mile. One passage was an elevator shaft that led upwards, but then there two other passages that led off straight and left, bringing a bit of a quandary to Megatron and those that followed him. The Decepticon warlord was wary about splitting up, such an action was not only foolish but incredibly dangerous as well. It would be just what Shockwave wanted, to have them separated so they could be picked off one by one.

Thankfully, Megatron had already thought about that and was determined to keep his group together.

"Which way do you think?" Sideswipe asked, his twin scanning the length of each passage as far as his sensors would go.

"If this is anything like Shockwave's former fortress he will have the hub of his operations up, as well as his lab since he would not those two places to be far from one another. We shall go up, as that is likely the best route to take, and we shall stick together, splitting up at this part will only benefit our enemy since we outnumber him as we are."

There was mutual agreement from those who chose to give their input. Arcee said nothing, her spark still sore and she did not trust herself to speak for fear of yelling at Megatron when they could ill afford such behavior right now. Hopefully they would come across something she could attack.

"Be on your guard," Megatron warned, as he headed for the elevator, "the fact that we have been able to get this far without running into any traps is not reassuring."

There is the superstition that simply mentioning something or the lack of something will make it happen. Even though Megatron had been right in warning his troops, his words, preceding the event as they did, were viewed by many as being the herald to what followed. Yet it is the author's desire that the reader understand that such was not the case, what happened would have happened anyway even if Megatron had not spoken.

Megatron led point towards the elevator, Bumblebee and the Twins following directly after. Arcee shot a look at Wheeljack, mostly to see how he was holding up since Bulkhead had been the key to getting him to join this battle in the first place. Wheeljack's battle mask gave nothing away, he did not even register Arcee's glance since the mech was too busy scanning behind him. Knockout bypassed Arcee when she did not directly follow and he yelped in pain before he could enter the elevator.

The four who had entered the elevator whipped around to see that a red deflector screen had come down, separating them from the three in the hallway. Knockout reeled himself back as soon as he came into contact with the screen and he stared down at his smoking chassis, where the deflector screen had burned the metal. Both parties stared at one another, realizing that despite all intents and purposes they were now split and obviously by design.

Megatron quickly tallied the strengths of the three mechs with him, and then the three on the other side of the barrier. Despite Wheeljack being a highly competent fighter, his side was the most vulnerable now since Arcee and Knockout did not have his expertise nor his arsenal. Quickly making a decision, Megatron tapped his comm, "Dreadwing, leave the Vehicon seekers to wreck havoc up top, I need you down here."

Bumblebee's blue optics, shining like beacons between the slits of his battle mask, looked up at Megatron with the first tendrils of fear showing. A quick scan of the doorway showed no access panels, leading Megatron to assume that the deflector screen was controlled from Shockwave's hub. If that was the case and trying to claw through the metal siding on each side of the doorway would be a waste of time and keep them exposed in the hallway and elevator.

"Don't get separated," Megatron ordered, as the elevator doors shut and the lift started upwards. The Decepticon leader looked at Bumblebee and the Twins, "Stay close, we will undoubtedly be unable to keep all four of us together so Bumblebee you stay with me and of course Sideswipe you stay with Sunstreaker." Suddenly having an inspiration, Megatron continued, "Shockwave and Lockdown are fools if they believe that cutting us four off from the others will give them an advantage. I've trained all three of you well, I know you will take my lessons to spark and will not disappoint me." The Twins were staring at him, Bumblebee could barely keep the confusion from his optics or stance.

Sunstreaker then straightened, his blue optics understanding, " We won't let you down, Lord Megatron."

Sideswipe and Bumblebee were quick to catch on, knowing that this was the first time that Sunstreaker had called Megatron by his title, a thing the normally rebellious mech would never have done no matter how much he respected the Decepticon leader. Megatron nodded, grinning, and readied himself. Shockwave would have to be foolish indeed not to have listening devices in the elevator, and most likely all over the lair as well, and the scientist was anything but foolish. '_Well, he's incredibly stupid for hatching this whole insane affair and igniting my wrath_!'

The four warriors tensed when the elevator stopped and the doors slid open. Megatron glanced at Bumblebee and then tried to get a look at the hallway without poking his head out. When Megatron stepped out of the elevator, Bumblebee was right behind him, practically clinging to the Decepticon leader so that they were both out of the lift and into the hallway in a second. Their precaution was well warranted for a deflector screen snapped down before the Twins could follow and the lift doors closed.

Bumblebee had his back pressed up against Megatron's, facing a dead end as the hallway had nothing the right of the elevator but a solid wall of stone. Warily, the small scout peeked around Megatron and saw the hallway extended for some hundred feet or so to a doorway, that had stairs leading up. The televised sounds of a battle and the beeping of consoles reached his audios and he looked up at Megatron.

The Decepticon warlord narrowed his optics, not at all liking this cat-and-mouse playing that Shockwave was doing. Still, what better way to unearth a trap than to spring it? He caught Bumblebee's look and grinned, "We are expected." Quickly, the Decepticon tapped his wrist console and a private link between him and the scout opened up. "_All our communications must be like this, little scout, and I would suggest you leave the talking, if any, to me and Shockwave. Understood_?"

"_Yes, Lord Megatron_," Bumblebee replied, priming his blasters as Megatron already had his cannon and sword at the ready.

Starting towards the hub, Megatron felt a burst of panic in his spark and tried his best to squash it. While keeping Bumblebee beside him was the best way to make sure the scout came to no harm, the Decepticon warlord was terrified if the scientist unearthed the parental attachment he had to the little scout, for Shockwave would not fail to use it against either of the two.

{Back to the hallway on the first floor of Shockwave's lair}

Arcee stood in between Knockout and Wheeljack, each armed and alert for anymore of Shockwave's tricks to come out. The separation from Megatron, Bumblebee and the Twins had alarmed Arcee more than she wanted to admit, and she was sure the two mechs next to her were as equally discomfited in the situation as she was. Being deliberately split up like this was not good, as it put them completely on the defensive and the power to call the shots in Shockwave's servos.

Before either of the three could ask a question about what they should do there was a whine of engines and Dreadwing came flying down the tunnel. He transformed a little ways from them and then hurried the rest of the way, scanning the area. "What happened?"

Arcee stepped out from the two larger mechs' protective shadows, "We were separated—"

The recon femme was cut off as small laser guns came out of the surrounding walls and opened fire. Arcee dove forward, knowing the mechs behind her were already falling back and there was not any place to hide. Taking refuge behind Dreadwing seemed the safer option, as he got his sword out and used the blade to deflect the shots coming his way. Arcee dove around his hulking figure, firing her blasters at the laser guns but making very little damage.

Wheeljack had his two blades out and was also deflecting the lasers, acting as a shield to Knockout who fired around the ex-Wrecker's frame. The four moved, the two heavier armored mechs finding the laser shots stung but did not hit too deeply, kind of like how a human would feel getting stung by a bee multiply times. Dreadwing and Wheeljack struck out when they could at the laser guns with their swords, and the Cybertronian hard cord forged metal cleanly cut through the lasers.

So focused were the four on the attack that they almost did not notice when the green shaped ball dropped from the ceiling and landed between the pairs. Wheeljack, being the demolitions expert that he was, recognized it immediately as an explosive and grabbed Knockout, who was the closest to him, and jumped back. Dreadwing and Arcee were none the slower, jumping away from the green ball but the biker was startled when the seeker willingly shielded her with his frame.

The grenade exploded, the demolition strong enough to take out of the surrounding wall and ceiling, bringing stone falling down in the hallway. A cloud of dirt and pulverized stone slowly settled and the four slowly righted themselves, glancing at each other across the rubble that separated them. Before either pair could breach the gap two deflector screens came down, sealing them off from one another.

Wheeljack practically growled his annoyance as he turned to Knockout, "He's playing with us!"

Knockout, for his part, was at a loss for a witty reply and somewhat lamenting the fact that he was not the one stuck with Dreadwing. He would take the overbearing second-in-command for company before the crazed demolitions expert any day of the year.

Arcee kicked her fans in, trying to clear out the tiny rock fragments that had been inhaled into her system. She coughed, looking up at Dreadwing who was looking at the barrier with an impassive gaze. "Aren't you worried, Decepticon?"

Dreadwing looked down, pinning her with red optics, "This is not the first time that I've been sealed off like this. Luckily for you, Autobot, I know how to play this game." He stepped around her, heading down the only way available to them, hefting his cannon up as he did so, "Better come with me if you want to live."

Back at the junction, Knockout and Wheeljack went down their own tunnel, both wary of each other and their surroundings. The demolitions expert went first, though he was aware of every move Knockout made and the medic was all too knowledgeable of the fact that while Wheeljack's emotions might be gone or toned down, there was always the possibility that something might set him off.

The two paused when they came to a row of empty cells, and Knockout scanned the area. "This is where the humans were kept," he whispered, thinking of the father of Rafael being in such a place.

Wheeljack did not much care about the humans' fate but since Megatron had requested they be evacuated if possible he found himself checking the area for blood stains. The lack of any evidence that the humans had been killed off made his processor whirl, wondering what Shockwave could have done with them. "Where are they?"

Knockout had no answer to Wheeljack's question, but even if he had there would have been no time to answer as the sounds of approaching machines caught the two mechs' attention.

Dreadwing and Arcee had gone a little ways before Arcee gasped, having seen a trail of white on the wall that she instantly recognized. Dreadwing turned at the sound, seeing the web-like substance and instantly going into battle stance but a moving patch of darkness showed that he was already too late. Several rapid shots of webbing hit Dreadwing, exploding and covering the seeker in the sticky stuff though, because of his sturdier frame, they were not strong enough to knock him back into the wall.

"Arcee," a voice purred, purple optics glowing beneath a black helm, "have you brought another partner for me to kill? Why, you're so thoughtful," one of her long legs scraped against the floor, making a screeching sound, "I'm quite touched."

{The Twins in Shockwave's lair}

Sunstreaker and Sideswipe looked amused as the elevator doors opened and an empty hallway lay before them. For his part, Sunny was having a blast. The one thing he really wanted right now was an enemy to pound into the ground, repeatedly. Sides was on much the same page as his brother, although he preferred a more engaging fight instead of a one-sided curb-stomp. Still, it was probably best not to whine about their circumstances.*

"Ready for a fight, brother mine?" Sides asked, cracking the digits of his servos.

Sunny primed his blasters, "Always, bro."

The Twins grinned and stepped into the hallway, immediately the elevator doors closed and they could hear the lift descend. "No return journey I guess."

"How rude," Sides said. "What kind of amusement ride goes only one way? They won't get many customers this way, I say."

"Right about that, Sides, right about that."

The Twins kept up their light banter as they walked down the hallway, though they were every bit as alert and ready as they could be.

Sunstreaker knew what was going to be at the end of the hallway, Shockwave's lab and without a doubt a welcoming committee as well. Neither twin was disappointed when they stepped into Shockwave's grotesquely decorated lab and saw Lockdown standing there. The bounty hunter was at ease, measuring up the two brothers with disdainful yellow optics.

"He promises me a worthy match and yet I get sparklings to fight," Lockdown sneered, full of contempt for not only the Twins but also for Shockwave in wasting his talents on two easy kills.

"You might want to think about redecorating," Sides said.

"Very depressing atmosphere," Sunny tagged on, "it's only missing dead body to complete the affect." He grinned at Lockdown, "Would you consider volunteering?"

"Enough of this foolishness," Lockdown said, priming a cannon, "I have better things to do than waste my time on incompetents like you. A quick death is all I can promise you."

{Megatron and Bumblebee}

Megatron and Bumblebee stepped into the hub and froze. Shockwave was there, standing tall and bearing his one, large optic upon them. Behind him was a row of consoles and screens, all showing different parts of the battle outside that the Vehicons were carrying out as well as the various areas in the lair where the allies were separated. Yet, that was not what drew the two newcomers' attention.

Clutched within Shockwave's grasp was a femme, a very skinny framed femme with tucked in wings denoting her as a seeker. Shockwave had his cannon pointed at the femme, whose lack of expression made Megatron wonder if the unknown seeker was all there or was too far gone mentally from whatever the scientist had exposed her too.

"There seems to have been a slight error in my calculations," Shockwave said. "I did not calculate that Soundwave would miss such an opportunity to fight me and reclaim his lost spark. Has he fallen then? Or did Lockdown and my machine do more damage than I thought?"

Megatron narrowed his optics, "Why should Soundwave care about this femme other that the fact that she seems to be yet another Cybertronian that you have tortured."

"Some memory searching should show you why Soundwave would care about this particular femme," Shockwave said. "Though she proved to be an interesting study and provided amusement for some of my acquaintances, her sole purpose was to bring Soundwave to me when the time was ripe. How could I have miscalculated?"

Megatron's optics opened wide, ignoring Bumblebee's confusion and Shockwave's wondering, the Decepticon warlord stared at the femme in disbelief. It was not possible, and yet there were some similarities still present to make the comparison and draw the obvious conclusion. With sickening dread, Megatron remembered that Soundwave was watching, listening, and would reach the same, horrifying conclusion that his leader had.

"Sparknight."

**AN: Just reestablishing, once again, that Sparknight's character belongs to my beta, not to me.**

***This part revised by QuantumSheep, many thanks bud. **

**Hug Vote:**

**Bumblebee – 24**

**Starscream – 15**

**Megatron – 9**

**Miko – 9**

**Soundwave – 9**

**Raf – 6**

**Mckeown –6**

**Orion – 5**

**Roberto Esquivel(Raf's dad) – 3**

**Knockout – 2**

**Dreadwing – 2**

**Arcee – 2**

**Bulkhead – 2**

**Ratchet – 2**

**Jack – 2**

**Sunstreaker – 2**

**Sideswipe – 2**

**Vehicons – 2**

**Wheeljack – 2**

**Laserbeak - 1**

**Favorite character vote:**

**Bumblebee – 10**

**Megatron – 8**

**Soundwave – 6**

**Knockout – 5**

**Blurr – 2**

**Arcee – 1**

**Wheeljack – 1**

**Starscream – 1**

**Orion Prime – 1**

**Silas - 1**

**Faction vote:**

**Decepticons – 26**

**Autobots - 11**


	51. The Final Battle part 3

**AN: Happy St. Patrick's Day to all of you who celebrated. Being Irish it was a very happy day for me!**

**Loki's Nightmare: Thanks for the review and voting.**

**Chapter Summary: The Battle(Part 3)**

{**Wheeljack and Knockout**}

Knockout knew what he was, and he had never been ashamed of his vain looks or his experience, or lack there of. Before the war, Knockout had been studying for his medical degree, which he had shoved aside once Megatron had rebelled to gain some experience in espionage, while working secondly as a field medic. He was not, nor had he ever been, a frontline soldier although he was not ignorant of the battlefield and what went on there. Knockout had always a femmes' mech, easily captivating the optics of femmes with his shining varnish and excellent paintjob.

Despite the horrors of the war, Knockout had kept his vain persona as more of a shield and something familiar to rely upon. There was nothing like waxing and polishing to quite calm down your nervous system when things around you got too emotional or hectic. He had always acted indignant whenever his paintjob had been messed up; it had been fun to react like a spoiled sparkling in order to ease his processor about what was going on around him. And while Knockout had been more than willing to embellish his own deeds to further impress admiring femmes, the espionage/medic officer had never fooled himself into believing that he was anything like those mechs who ran right into the midst of danger and fought with all their spark. Those mechs were a different class altogether, and while Knockout admired them he knew he could never be one of them, either because he lacked a certain something in his coding or he really did have a wish not to inflict harm on another.

Whatever Knockout's dilemma, if such it could be called, it would explain why he hung back as Wheeljack took center stage in the fight. Or possibly it was because Wheeljack left him very little room for fighting anyway, as the demolitions expert was a ruthless machine of destruction, laying the cells low and blackening the walls with the deflected laser shots off his swords from the incoming enemy. Or perhaps Knockout hung back because there was something about the approaching mechs that struck him as odd, and he crouched behind a smoldering wall as he watched them.

There _was_ something off about the mechs, something different, and Knockout wished he was not in the middle of a firefight as it made everything extremely difficult. Still, his optics were functioning at peak efficiency so perhaps he could visually find out what the problem was, though he would have preferred a closer inspection with his medical tools. Knockout used his zoom in option, originally designed for surgeons or snipers, and studied the advancing mechs.

Then again, he would not need his medical tools after all.

"Wheeljack," Knockout called over the din of laser fire. "They have no spark chambers!"

"What?" Wheeljack yelled, not really sure why he bothered to have the medic repeat himself since he probably would not listen to any advice the Decepticon would give as it was. Perhaps he asked for clarification because he realized that the medic was the only one he had to watch his back, and while Wheeljack was always a sucker for fights not in his favor, he was not an idiot. One of the first rules of combat after all was not to tick off the guy watching your rear.

"They don't have sparks!" Knockout yelled, trying to draw the demolition expert's attention to the lack of glowing from the chassis plates of the incoming mechs.

The medic's words sinking in, Wheeljack looked back at the black and red painted mechs and noted what Knockout had. No sparks meant no consciousness's, these mechs were nothing more than robots, more than likely programmed like a human computer only by Shockwave's servos. "Well then they won't feel a thing will they?"

"No Wheeljack! Wait!" Knockout had seen pictures of the robots MECH had used to defend their first base, but they had been skinnier of frame than these machines of Shockwave's. There was something bugging at the medic's processor, and his optics quickly scanned the nearest frame, noting the size and width of the chassis before looking at the smashed cells around him, where the humans had been kept. "Something's not right."

Now, no one could accuse Knockout of being slow, as a medic and an espionage specialist he was required to think five steps ahead of what he was doing in order to be prepared for what would follow. Therefore, it was not surprising that his red optics opened wide in realization and he stared at the advancing robots with growing suspicion that he was very near the mark.

"Wheeljack!" Knockout shouted yet again, the demolition expert was obviously irritated, if the look he threw the medic while deflecting laser bolts was anything to go by. "I need to scan one of them! Throw me one to scan when you get close enough but don't destroy any of them!"

"Now is not the time to be a science geek, Decepto-Doc!" Wheeljack snapped, his blades well within reach now to slash through the nearest robot.

"Humor me!" Knockout bellowed, almost startling himself with how loud and earnest he sounded.

Wheeljack must have been startled too, for he actually did as Knockout wanted.

{**Megatron and Bumblebee**}

"What have you done to her?" Megatron asked, not needing a medic to tell him that Sparknight was not in her right processor. The slight seeker looked to be barely able to keep her frame upright, never mind the fact that she was showing no reaction to having a cannon pointed at her helm.

The Decepticon could only hazard a guess at what had been done to her, for she was a far cry from the warrior he had known all those years ago. Seeing her in such a state would break Soundwave, in ways that not even her supposed death had done… Soundwave! Megatron knew that his third-in-command was watching, he would be seeing all of this and for the first time since the warlord had come to know the telepath, Megatron could guarantee that Soundwave would act rationally.

Shockwave cocked his helm at Megatron, "Why would you concern yourself about her? What is she to you?" Shockwave's single optic did not move, but Megatron could not shake the feeling that the scientist was looking at Bumblebee, "Why would any of the Autobots warrant your attention at all? They have nothing to offer you, it is they who profit more from your alliance than your Decepticons do."

Megatron grinned, "Poor Shockwave. It doesn't compute does it? You can try to factor the numbers a million different times, but you will never see the logic in any of this." The Decepticon warlord was in his element, putting the enemy off-balance. Of course, dialogue was not the weapon of his choice but as long as Shockwave was willing to talk it was best to keep him yapping. "But if I must explain my actions to you, perhaps you would be willing to do the same. This entire endeavor of yours, Shockwave, has puzzled me exceedingly. Logically I could perhaps understand why you would want the slave code in order to imprison other Cybertronians to do your will, but the humans? Taking them defies logic, of which you were once renowned for."

Shockwave bristled, "Defies logic? What do you know of logic? You are but a youngling compared to me, the rest of your ragtag group a bunch of errant sparklings. What did you know of the old regime? A gladiator ring where you won prestige yet you were not satisfied with the role the council had given you, you wanted more. I was once blind like you were, emotionally unbalanced by the loss of my co-workers in the mines that I did not see the logic of the Golden Council's vision, but now I do. Holding complete control over its citizens is the only way a government can be sure to keep them all in line and stave off rebellions and wars. I have perfected their design and I can assure you that under my rule there will be no more fighting, everyone will live and do in the manner I deem for them to do, and there will be no dissention in the ranks. I saw the similarity between us and the humans and logic dictated that I fix their world before it is destroyed as ours was!"

Shockwave pushed Sparknight, still keeping the cannon trained on her, and they moved to the side, giving Megatron and Bumblebee room to see the various screens along the wall. "Come see for yourself that I am right, Megatron. The warriors known as Wheeljack and Knockout are surely learning by now who they are facing."

Not wanting Shockwave to get too close to them, Megatron and Bumblebee edged towards the screens, maintaining the distance between the two groups. Tilting his helm, so that he would still see Shockwave, Megatron saw that Knockout and Wheeljack were battling a squad of mechs. Or rather, Wheeljack was fighting them while the medic was holding one down and seemed to be examining it.

"I knew you were behind supplying MECH with the robots Silas had defending his base."

"Blind, obstinate fool," Shockwave said. "Look again."

Bumblebee, even though he wanted to look, kept his blasters trained on Shockwave while Megatron took another look at the screen. The quality of the screen was such that the Decepticon warlord could see the look of horror on Knockout's faceplate, and he felt his own spark tighten, "What have you done?"

"I have perfected the human race," Shockwave answered. "Now they will live for a very long time, and all their needs will be seen to and no reproduction will be necessary for a great many years. They will not have to struggle to survive anymore, once their bodies submit to my implants their suffering will be over for ever."

Bumblebee choked, and Megatron did not blame him, "You cannot inflict such a regime on them all. The very act is monstrous and you will destroy that race of everything that makes it what it is. You have not thought this through. Surely not all your test subjects survived such trauma."

"The strong survived," Shockwave conceded, "such is the way of things. My society will have no use for the elderly, infirm or the young, they would not survive the process anyway so by my calculations it would be better to exterminate those who will not conform with my rule sooner rather than later. Why delay the inevitable?"

"And they say I was mad," Megatron looked at Shockwave, wondering if it was the time spent in hiding that had driven the scientist mad, or the dark depths of the Tarn mines. "You knew I would oppose you, you knew that Optimus Prime would not accept this either, that was why you blatantly sent out Starscream, to draw us out."

"Yes, but not even the many scenarios I drew up could fathom how desperate you would be to ally yourself with the Autobots, I thought that feud too deep for such."

"So your logic is not omnipotent. Despite your effort to replace Primus, you are just like the rest of us, susceptible to making mistakes."

Shockwave jerked Sparknight to the side, still keeping his cannon trained on her but no longer holding her frame as a shield in front of his own. "Mistakes? I will show you mistakes, Megatron, self-proclaimed lord of the Decepticons. Look and see the doom you have brought to your troops by leading them into my domain. Watch them fall one-by-one, and know that it was you who led them to this fate."

{**Arcee and Dreadwing**}

There were many times Arcee had felt fear during her life, and most of them had had to do with the spiderbot, Arachnid. Since the death of her first partner, Arcee had lived in dread of meeting Arachnid again and had almost forgotten the torture she had undergone until the interrogations officer had landed on Earth. When Arachnid had escaped Arcee had known there would be continuous clashes between them for the rest of their lives, until one of them fell.

And meet again the two femmes had, several times in fact with one or the other barely surviving the encounters.

Arcee stood in front of the imprisoned Dreadwing, whose limbs were glued to his sides by the sticky webbing, and she took a protective stance. Dreadwing however was not about to out his fate in the servos of someone who was so much smaller than himself, and a femme at that, so he kept his peds firmly planted on the floor as he struggled with the bindings. The echoing tapping sounds along the floor and wall, signaling Arachnid's approach, would be forever remembered by Arcee and Dreadwing. While the ex-gladiator did never feared Arachnid, he was not stupid enough to not be somewhat apprehensive to his situation now, and he was even, surprisingly enough, a little worried about the biker in front of him.

"Arcee," Arachnid's sugary tone was sickening, "it's been too long."

"Not long enough," Arcee bit back. "Why didn't you stay buried in whatever hole you had crawled into?"

Arachnid chuckled, "And miss seeing you again? Why I couldn't do that, especially not when Shockwave promised me a little one-on-one time with you. How could I refuse such a generous offer from the mech who gave me this very pleasing form?"

"Arachnid," Dreadwing growled, "you're a fool if you believe anything that Shockwave has told you. Haven't you seen what he's done with his allies? Didn't he reduce Starscream to a slave and then drop him when he no longer needed him?"

Arachnid laughed, "Starscream got what was coming to him. I am not under any influence of Shockwave's, save that I agree with what he's doing. But enough talk. I am going to kill Dreadwing, Arcee, and when he's dead I'm going to kill you. So try to stop me if you can."

Arachnid lunged, her extra curling in before straightening out in order to propel her forward. Arcee's initial reaction was to duck, but that would have left Dreadwing open, so instead she stayed where she was and opened fire. Megatron had recommended all the Autobots to upgrade their weaponry and those Decepticons who had expertise in the area had offered their assistance to do so. So Arachnid was in for a bit of surprise when Arcee started firing at her.

The spiderbot cried out as the biker's blaster bolts actually put dents in her armor, forcing Arachnid to abandon her forward attack and try another way. Arachnid spun and used the wall to pull herself up and over Arcee, lashing out at the small femme with her spare limbs as she did so. Being highly trained not only in the arts of interrogation but assassination as well, Arachnid was more than capable of inflicting damage and scoring hits past even the most experienced of fighters' defenses.

Arcee's cries of pain reverberated off the walls of the hallway, and Dreadwing winced in sympathy and alarm when he noted the energon spray from the wounds Arachnid had inflicted. Arcee stumbled and dropped, her pain receptors overloading and Arachnid was past her and coming toward Dreadwing. If she thought Megatron's second-in-command was going to go down without a fight she had another thing coming.

Dreadwing, while being a tall mech, was a very agile fighter and he crouched easily without losing his balance. Using his servos as best he could, he braced his knuckles against the floor and pushed his legs up, catching Arachnid by surprise. The spiderbot went flying backwards, her yell of outrage and pain a welcoming sound to both the Autobot and Decepticon.

Arcee stumbled to her pedes, ignoring the energon flowing down her frame from the small cuts Arachnid had made in between her plating. Dreadwing was also on his feet, his optics watching the spiderbot while he tried to work out a small blade on his left arm.

Arachnid's legs righted her frame and she glared at both Arcee and Dreadwing, wiping a trail of energon from her mouthpiece. The sizable dent and fractured metal where Dreadwing had smashed his ped was quite noticeable in the dim light, "No more games."

{**Sunstreaker and Sideswipe**}

The Twins had been programmed for battle from the beginning, their frames having been made after Megatron's rebellion had started. They were born fighters, literally, the council having their newly formed sparks immediately put into adult frames and skipping the sparkling stage, but their destructive combat skills had been largely geared towards taking down seekers. In the short years of their existence the Twins had earned a reputation and were largely feared by seekers on both sides of the war, even Autobot seekers had largely stayed clear of them due to a healthy amount of fear and uncertainly since the Twins were mainly viewed as being a little mad and paranoid of everything except one another.

Since their targets were mainly seekers, Sunstreaker and Sideswipe were more use to an open battlefield to move around in. Their fighting style was built around the assumption that there would be plenty of room to move about for them to use their jetpacks, which were a handy tool for giving them some flight capability. While they did have some close quartered experience in fighting, it was not their preferred method and the Twins found it harder to watch each other's back and fight to the best of their ability at the same time.

Lockdown had been a bounty hunter for more than three thousand years, where he had come from or what he had been before had been forgotten but most who had seen him were sure he had lived for at least five thousand years. He had traveled the galaxy extensively, either hunting down bounties or perusing planets for his own enjoyment, and he had more than enough one-on-one fights and small skirmishes to give him experience in all types of fighting styles on different terrains. There was no denying that he was a deadly force in his own right, and no matter how the Twins had been programmed from the start to be fighters, they were, compared to him, nothing but sparklings in the art of war.

The Twins came at Lockdown from two sides, no doubt hoping to keep him between the two of them and therefore easy to attack without hitting the other. The bounty hunter was no novice though and let them come with a wicked grin. Just Sunstreaker was within range, Lockdown grabbed the yellow mech and spun them about, throwing Sunstreaker into the oncoming charge of his brother.

The Twins crashed into one another, falling to the floor in a tangled mess, but they were quick to regain their footing as best they could. Lockdown gave them very little time to recover, letting them get up before descending on them again. He grabbed the red mech this time, using his height as an advantage and threw Sideswipe as hard as he could. The red twin smashed into the table Shockwave had used to enslave Starscream, and Sideswipe bulk actually managed to move the table a few inches before the momentum from the throw drew the red mech over it.

Sunstreaker came at Lockdown then, swinging powerful punches that the bounty hunter merely dodged or batted away. Lockdown was like a cat, playing with the mouse and letting his prey struggle and fight back but the outcome was inevitable. The yellow mech did manage to score some hits, but he might as well have been punching a thick wall of concrete for all the good it did him. Sideswipe came up and primed his blasters, opening fire on Lockdown's exposed back. The bounty hunter's answer was a verbal exclamation in some unknown language, but both of the Twins had a good idea what he said.

"Did we make the great big bounty hunter curse, bro?" Sideswipe asked.

"I believe we did, brother mine, I believe we did." Sunstreaker brought his blasters up, watching Lockdown stagger a bit. Sideswipe's shots had left singeing holes in the bounty hunter's back, but they had not gone deep enough to draw energon.

Lockdown eyed both of them, looking at the blasters contemptuously, "Brats! Enough playing around, I have better things to do!"

Lockdown's assault drove the Twins back, his blasters were of a heavier make than the Twins', even if they had upgraded them, and so they were forced to retreat. They danced around each other as they would fire at him and then give ground, most likely trying to get back to the hallway where they would be able to take cover behind the wall. Lockdown let them make it halfway before his helm transformed into his primary cannon, locking onto the red mech first.

Sunstreaker and Sideswipe had always been close, having a split spark between their forms they were always mindful of the other. Each knew the other's thoughts and feelings, if one experienced pain then so did the other. So when a blast tore its way through Sideswipe's right shoulder joint, leaving his arm to dangle by a few intact cables, Sunstreaker's own pain receptors overloaded with his Twin's agony.

"Sides!" Watching his brother fall, feeling his pain, drove Sunstreaker towards that anger of which he mad always been more susceptible too rather than Sideswipe had.

Sunstreaker charged Lockdown, yelling and firing his blasters with all the power that he had. The bounty hunter's chassis erupted with puncture shots from the blasters, his frame jerking back from the onslaught but he kept his balance. Lockdown did not have to use his target sensors to lock in on Sunstreaker, the yellow mech was almost on top of him when the bounty hunter fired again, practically point blank.

Sideswipe screamed from his position on the floor as Sunstreaker's frame nearly folded in half backwards as it rocked back from the blow. A smoking crater, practically taking up the entire left side of the yellow mech's chassis, was just barely visible to Sideswipe's half shuttered optics. Sunstreaker made no sound as his frame fell to the floor, the heavy thud echoing not only in the room but in Sideswipe's spark as well.

Lockdown's cannon retransformed into his helm, his sneer of victory missed by both Twins, since Sunstreaker's optics were shuttered and Sideswipe was looking at his brother. No matter, neither Autobot would live long anyway. Lockdown brought his blasters to bear, knowing the yellow mech still lived no matter how tenuous his hold was, but a little pressure to pull apart the spark's protective casing and that would be taken care of.

"Don't you touch him!" Sideswipe pulled himself up to his knees, using his good arm for support but he soon transformed his servo into a blaster and did his best to level it at Lockdown, swaying slightly from his own pain and that of his brother's.

Lockdown chuckled, "Do you expect to stop me when you can barely defend yourself? Foolish Autobot." Then Lockdown regarded the shaking red mech and his yellow optics gleamed, he stepped over Sunstreaker's still form, "Still, perhaps I could be prevailed upon to show him mercy, of you would beg—"

Lockdown was cut off as a ground bridge opened up, so close to him that he staggered from the gravimetrical pull. He had barely enough time to look up, let alone bring his blasters to bear, as Soundwave came flying through the green swirl of light. The telepath grabbed hold of the bounty hunter and a second ground bridge opened up to swallow the pair of them in the blink of an optic.

**AN: Man, I thought the battle would end this chapter but it didn't. Oh well, review, critique, follow, favorite, every little bit is appreciated and welcomed. Well, the critique is welcomed to some extent. Also, don't forget to vote if you haven't already.**

**Hug Vote:**

**Bumblebee – 24**

**Starscream – 15**

**Soundwave – 10**

**Megatron – 9**

**Miko – 9**

**Raf – 6**

**Mckeown –6**

**Orion – 5**

**Roberto Esquivel(Raf's dad) – 3**

**Knockout – 3**

**Dreadwing – 3**

**Arcee – 2**

**Bulkhead – 2**

**Ratchet – 2**

**Jack – 2**

**Sunstreaker – 2**

**Sideswipe – 2**

**Vehicons – 2**

**Wheeljack – 2**

**Laserbeak - 1**

**Favorite character vote:**

**Bumblebee – 10**

**Megatron – 8**

**Soundwave – 7**

**Knockout – 5**

**Blurr – 2**

**Arcee – 1**

**Wheeljack – 1**

**Starscream – 1**

**Orion Prime – 1**

**Silas - 1**

**Faction vote:**

**Decepticons – 27**

**Autobots - 11**


	52. The Final Battle part 4

**AN: I will not be posting next week so there will be no updates until the following week. Everyone have a great and blessed Easter. **

**64: Welcome back, was wondering where you were. This battle is long, the longest one I've ever written that's for sure. Wow, you're still mad about Blurr dying, sorry but hey at least he died a hero, right?**

**Chapter Summary: The Battle(Part 4)**

{**Soundwave**} Before

_Patience was a virtue that many, Autobots and Decepticons, attributed to Soundwave in having an enormous amount of. Only Megatron could remember the seeker ever losing his cool demeanor, and that had been after the telepath had witnessed the death of Sparknight. Since then Soundwave had devoted himself to the Decepticon cause, even when Megatron went slightly mad and Starscream was an incompetent leader. He stayed because he needed something to hold onto, something that made sense, and he had never looked back. _

_ Still, for all his patience, Soundwave knew that there burned within him a flame for revenge. He had kept strict vigilance monitoring for any sign of Lockdown, and planning his moves should he ever meet the bounty hunter. When Lockdown had showed up on the Nemesis, the telepath had been caught unawares but no less ready to fight. Soundwave knew he could take the bounty hunter, but on the battlefield of his choosing._

_ When he had seen that the Twins were facing Lockdown he had been prepared to jump in right then. The Twins, while experienced fighters, were out of Lockdown's class and no match for the subsequent beating that followed. Before the two had engaged Lockdown, Soundwave had been prepared to open the ground bridge but a quick check on the others' statuses had him freezing in his place. _

_ Soundwave was sure that his spark had stopped beating and that he was in the Well of Sparks, for there was Sparknight, alive. Even though he had trouble believing what he was seeing, Soundwave took note of the cannon Shockwave was pointing at the small seeker, and the vacant expression of her faceplate. His fingers almost moved to reset the ground bridge coordinates when he realized that such an action would be impossible to make._

_ Reasonable was also something many associated with Soundwave. If anyone had suggested that the telepathic seeker would act foolish they would have been laughed at. While Soundwave was no emotionless, logic-driven Shockwave, he had always tried to think his way through problems rather than act according to his impulse._

_ Being the expert fighter that he was, Soundwave knew that Shockwave's command center was nether the best place for a confrontation with the scientist, nor ideal to rescue Sparknight. No matter how much he wanted to pull Sparknight out of Shockwave's grasp, or turn that cannon on its owner, Soundwave had to concede that he had to leave this confrontation to Megatron and Bumblebee. They were already in excellent positions, where as he, coming in, would not have maneuverability on his side. _

_ Making a decision, Soundwave got to work on the ground coordinates, hacking through Shockwave's firewalls as best as he could. Thanks to Dreadwing taking out the locking scope and shield, Soundwave could not only ground bridge into the mountain but he could control where any outgoing ground bridge tunnels went. That piece of information the telepath would certainly take advantage of it. _

_ This side project took his focus, and so when Soundwave turned his attention back to Lockdown and the Twins he was in time to witness Sunstreaker getting shot at point blank. Knowing he needed to move quickly, Soundwave made the last preparations before handing the controls of the ground bridge over to Raf's laptop and then he was gone. When he came through the other side and grabbed Lockdown, smirking at the look of shock on the bounty hunter's faceplate before using his thrusters to carry both of them into the next waiting ground bridge. Sparknight at least would have one less tormentor around. _

{**Knockout and Wheeljack**} Now

Knockout had seen many gruesome things during the Cybertronian war, some of which had been so horrifying that he had locked down the memory files against even his own access. Still, he had thought that he had seen everything, witnessed enough atrocities that he would never be surprised again by how low an intellectual creature, whether organic or machine, could sink to. So he had thought, until today.

When Knockout had pinned down the struggling robot beneath him and forced access into the medical port he was not sure what he would find. He had a feeling that the arrival of the robots and the missing humans was connected, but to what end or how he was not sure. All of that became painfully clear when he accessed the robot's systems.

Shockwave had put the humans in these metal casings? Needing to see with his own optics, what his scanners were telling him, Knockout pulled apart the chest plates, and was more than horrified and saddened by what he saw. Where a mech's spark chamber would have been, was instead a human, cables connected to his shaved head and some of them inserted into the wrists and legs. Bleary eyes blinked up at him, most likely responding to the sudden onslaught of light into what had hitherto been a dark area.

There was no time to offer comfort, and Knockout doubted the human would have even known he was receiving any given his current drugged state. Instead Knockout quickly scanned for some type of failsafe Shockwave would have no doubt built into the machines, and he was pleased when he found one, the only downside was that in order for the code to be wirelessly delivered to every machine a password was needed, and Knockout did not have time to guess what the crazed scientist might have chosen so he went with the next best chosen. Manually shutting down the weapons system, and the limbs, Knockout could step back assured that the human was still alive but that the machine was not able to carry out its orders any more.

Unfortunately, with just him and Wheeljack, it would not be a simple matter of manually overriding each machine. Getting the ex-Wrecker to do such a non-violent maneuver would not be easy either, a point that was driven home when Knockout watched Wheeljack viciously swing his swords and hack away at those machines that were either firing at him or trying to punch him.

Yelling that there were humans inside had done little to phase Wheeljack, except he did mainly direct his attacks to the arms and legs instead of the torso. Still, Knockout had no idea if slicing through the workings of the machines would harm the humans who were connected internally. "Wheeljack stop!"

"You got any better ideas?" Wheeljack hollered back, angrily kicking one machine away from while swiping his sword at another.

"We have to take them down without harming them!" Knockout tried to reason. "The humans are innocent, they didn't ask for this! Please," then using his trump card, "Bulkhead wouldn't want this!"

"Fine!" Wheeljack snapped. Without consulting the medic, Wheeljack pulled a blue grenade from his belt and primed it, "Get behind something!"

"Wheeljack don't!" Knockout had no idea what the grenade was, and as far as he was from the ex-Wrecker he could do nothing as Wheeljack threw his explosive into the midst of the machines except duck behind a half destroyed wall and crouch down. The demolitions expert was beside him just as a blue blast reverberated off the walls.

Scared of what he might see, and vowing to kill Wheeljack if the humans had died, Knockout straightened up. The machines lay in a pile on the floor, and the medic in Knockout kicked in, mindless of the danger, to quickly hurry to the nearest one and scan it. Pulling the chest plates apart, Knockout saw the human inside, alive but shaking and obviously in need of medical attention.

"It was a low-grade EMP," Wheeljack said dismissively, "nothing to worry about."

Knockout glared at the demolitions expert, not trusting himself to speak, instead he tapped his com, "Soundwave, I need a ground bridge." When no green portal opened up Knockout began to worry, "Soundwave?"

A ground bridge opened up, "_Sorry about the delay, Knockout, I had to gate bridge Ratchet to the Twins, you can come through now_."

"Raf?"

{**Arcee and Dreadwing**}

Arcee was a competent fighter in her own right, but her frame was made for light combat. The council had tried to have her frame changed for a heavier one but the biker's spark and processor had rejected it, there was simply no match between the two builds. Still, Arcee had learned what fighting styles she could in order to prove that she was pulling her own weight.

Of course, after certain codes had been erased Arcee had realized that she had, once very long ago, held no desire to enter the war. She had been neutral but her choice had been taken from her, Arcee had been forced into a war she would rather have remained apart from and now she could no longer see a bright, cheery messenger runner she once had been. Now she was a scout, a fighter who had hurt many and had killed a few, and was Arachnid's number one target.

Arcee dodged another blow Arachnid, trying to use her smaller frame to dance in between the spiderbot's legs and avoid injury. Arachnid was steering clear of Dreadwing for the moment, occasionally shooting a stream of acid that the seeker had to step aside and thereby halt his attempts at breaking free. This was a dance of movement that the three had been engaged in for almost fifteen minutes now, and Arcee could see that Arachnid was being thwarted a hit on both sides.

The biker was worried though, for she knew she would not be able to keep up this constant acrobatics in avoiding Arachnid. Already Arcee's energon tank was half empty(or half full, you reviewers decide), trails of the blue energon flowed down her frame and sometimes sprayed out against the hallway walls when she was forced to move quickly. She had stopped using her blasters to attack, knowing the extra energon needed to fuel her ability to move in order to stay alive a little longer.

Dreadwing was not blind to Arcee's state, and he wrestled with the webbing binding his arms furiously. If he could just slide the thin blade he had managed to pull out of its casing in between his arm and Arachnid's sticky webbing he would have a chance, but it seemed every time he got close to angling the blade the spiderbot would shoot acid at him and he would have to dodge it. It was beyond frustrating but the seeker did not give up, knowing that Arcee's life depended on him getting free and helping her, for Dreadwing knew that even at her best the biker stood a slim chance of besting the spiderbot.

Surprisingly to both the Autobot and Decepticon, Arachnid had yet to use her drilling technique, even thought the floor was mostly dirt and rocks. It made Dreadwing uneasy, knowing she could have easily used it to set Dreadwing off-balance or even bury him. Perhaps the spiderbot was too focused now on trying to cripple Arcee to think about taking out Dreadwing, who she no doubt already thought sufficiently restrained.

It took one stumble on Arcee's part, one slight tremor in her leg when she landed that made the biker's limb buckle. It was enough for Arachnid to catch Arcee by surprise. One front spidery limb shot out to make sure the biker could not retreat, while another the other longer front limb stabbed quickly at the presented target.

Arcee cried out in pain as the pointed end of Arachnid's leg punched through the top of her chassis, what would have been the collarbone area for a human. The spiderbot's limb tore through the biker's body, coming through the other side. Energon splashed the wall behind Arcee, leaving a splatter of blue that made the partition look like some weird Picasso piece. When Arachnid harshly twisted her spiderly leg and pulled it out Arcee screamed, but the spiderbot was far from done with her.

Pulling the biker towards her, Arachnid shoved her blaster below Arcee's spark chamber, angling upwards, and fired. Luckily for Arcee, Arachnid did not have the firepower to blast a hole through her, or teat through the protective plating of her spark chamber or fuel tank, but the damage from the shot was enough to leave a smoldering black area, which was quickly covering by energon from burnt wiring.

Arachnid releases her hold, grinning as Arcee stumbles back and collapses, her blue optics dimming slightly. "Arcee?" The spiderbot turned to see that Megatron's second-in-command has ceased struggling and was watching the twitching form of the fallen biker.

"Oh don't think I forgot about you, dear Dreadwing," she purred, turning her frame fully towards him. "What a shock it was to find you so willing to fight beside the Autobots, but an even greater shock is that you actually care about this pitiful femme beneath me?" She stalked towards him, swaying her frame's weight from one set of spidery legs to the other, "Is it possible that the high and mighty seeker, who could never be tempted to show me favor, has a soft spot for this little Autobot?" She practically danced on her legs, "Oh this is a rich cup of energon!" she laughed, and Dreadwing found the tones more annoying than usual. "The fierce gladiator who became the proud aerial commander, untouchable to all the femmes of the Decepticon cause, is brought down by a slip of an Autobot, who can't even protect her own partners. The idea is quite ludicrous!"

"Why?" Dreadwing asked, his red optics boring into her purple ones. "Is it really that hard to believe? And who says she's brought me down? I am not a dog to come to her when she calls, we are equals." Leaning back slightly, the seeker smirked at Arachnid, "But that is something you will never understand. You wanted to control me, along with the rest of Megatron's officers and thereby hold sway over him, but I would not bow to you. You will never understand what real friendship is, or bonding, and how it can last not only time but also even jealousy and anger as well. You don't get it, and so you'll never succeed, and femmes like Arcee will always come out the winner."

Arachnid's optics had narrowed considerably while Dreadwing spoke, her legs flaring out around and looking like she was preparing to jump. The seeker decided to sweeten the energon a bit more. "You think by besting her you've proven she's not worthy of my notice? Yet what need have I for a strong femme, I have strength enough for both of us and when I get free I'm going kill you, Arachnid."

"Kill me?" she yelled. "Let's see how well you fight when you're trussed up like some human's dinner."

Dreadwing glowered, "If you think you can take me down, Arachnid, then prove it. Until you snuff out my spark I'll always think of you as a low conniving insect, not even worth the time to step on."

Arachnid screamed, her legs coiling up and then launching her towards the bound seeker. Dreadwing did not react until she was on top of him, her arms reaching out to claw at him, and then he moved. With a grin that the spiderbot noticed too late, Dreadwing drove his small blade up, through the crack between the chest plates and into Arachnid's spark.

A gasp of pain and surprise echoed, as Arachnid's frame registered the strike and she glanced down. The blade was firmly lodged into her spark, making the crystal crack. She looked at Dreadwing, disbelief blatant of her faceplate.

"Idiot," Dreadwing said, as he twisted the blade and Arachnid's spark shattered. Throwing the frame away from him, Dreadwing quickly cut through the webbing, calling out to Arcee, who has ceased to move.

Her optics were unshuttered though, and he was sure she had seen him kill Arachnid. He bent over her frame, gently moving her so he could cradle Arcee in his arms, not minding at all that her leaking energon got all over him.

"You got her?" Arcee whispered.

"For Bulkhead," Dreadwing answered. "One shattered spark for another."

"Good." Arcee's frame shook then, and Dreadwing searched for the stasis lock switch around her neck, knowing it was the only way for her to survive before medical help arrived. When he found he nearly growled in frustration, for the area was too small for his larger digits to reach.

"Soundwave, I need a ground bridge, tell Ratchet it's a high prioroity medical emergency!" When no bridge opened Dreadwing was more angered than worried, "Soundwave are you listening? Open the ground bridge!"

"_Commander Dreadwing, I'm sorry but Knockout and Wheeljack are still transporting the humans through to the base. We need five more minutes."_

"Raf? What are you doing manning the ground bridge? Where's Soundwave?"

Soundwave went after Lockdown, who nearly killed the Twins, Ratchet is tending to them now. As soon as Knockout has the humans stabilized he will be ready for Arcee. He recommends you put her in stasis lock."

This time Dreadwing did growl in frustration, earning a chuckle from Arcee, who was barely conscious as it was. "Tell that walking model car that I can't reach her stasis lock, it's too small!"

The other side of the line went silent but Dreadwing's attention was drawn downwards as he felt Arcee's frame shudder again. "Maybe I can save you the trouble, big guy?"

Before the seeker could say anything, Arcee's optics dimmed and shuttered and her frame went limp. "Arcee?" Dreadwing had next to none medical knowledge and so he felt woefully inept in determining if Arcee's processor was crashing or her frame had merely shut down to preserve itself. "Rafael Esquivel, you get that ground bridge open immediately or Jack Darby is going to lose his guardian!"

**AN: So, how many want Arcee to live?**

**Hug Vote:**

**Bumblebee – 25**

**Starscream – 17**

**Soundwave – 11**

**Megatron – 10**

**Miko – 9**

**Raf – 6**

**Mckeown –6**

**Orion – 6**

**Knockout – 4**

**Dreadwing – 4**

**Blurr - 4**

**Bulkhead – 4**

**Roberto Esquivel(Raf's dad) – 3**

**Arcee – 3**

**Ratchet – 3**

**Sunstreaker – 3**

**Sideswipe – 3**

**Vehicons – 3**

**Wheeljack – 3**

**Jack – 2**

**Laserbeak – 2**

**Miko's parents – 1**

**Other humans who died throughout this story - 1**

**Favorite character vote:**

**Bumblebee – 10**

**Megatron – 8**

**Soundwave – 7**

**Knockout – 5**

**Blurr – 2**

**Arcee – 1**

**Wheeljack – 1**

**Starscream – 1**

**Orion Prime – 1**

**Silas – 1**

**The Twins -1**

**Faction vote:**

**Decepticons – 28**

**Autobots - 11**


	53. The Final Battle part 5

**AN: Happy Easter! **

**Chapter Summary: The Battle (part 5) (The last part, I swear)**

{Soundwave}

In the plains of the Sahara, a herd of wildebeests scattered in panic as a green swirl of energy appeared before them. Out of this portal, tumbled two large mechs, the gray with purple and black accents holding onto the darker gray one, and they landed on the ground, a hard kick from the one with yellow optics separated them and they stood up. The two titans stared at one another, the gray mech was too shocked for a moment to do anything at the moment, but then he recovered.

"Soundwave! How nice of you to drop by." Lockdown cracked his knuckles, grinning at the silent seeker, "I rather hoped we would get a chance to finish our business."

In answer Soundwave flared his wings and moved in. Lockdown met the incoming seeker and he lashed out, trying to catch Soundwave with a powerful kick but the telepath dodged the attack. Spinning around the slightly larger mech, Soundwave activated the blades on his lower arms, an upgrade he had done on the side shortly after being released from the Autobot medical bay. The blades were razor sharp, having been honed to a clean edge that could slice through just about anything.

Soundwave quickly brought the blades on his arms up and down Lockdown's back, cutting through the heavily plated area without hardly any resistance at all. The bounty hunter's yell of outrage spurred Soundwave on, he ducked Lockdown as the other mech turned and transformed one servo into a blaster, sending a shot at an inner leg joint. Energon splayed from the wound, dotting Soundwave's armor as the telepath bent his knee joints and back flipped away from the bounty hunter.

Lockdown howled in pain and anger, before he shut down the sensors to his left leg and scanned the damage. The blaster shot had hit the inside of the leg joint, where it met his hip, and the metal had been blown inwards, exposing the tender wiring underneath and the broken energon lines.

Despite the shock he felt, Lockdown laughed as he looked up at Soundwave, "Keep fighting like that Soundwave, and I'll remember this fight for a thousand years."

In answer, Soundwave transformed and fired two missiles as he spun towards Lockdown. The bounty hunter buckled his injured leg in order to quickly dodge one missile, which he grabbed by its tailpipe and threw in the path of the second missile. The resulting explosion knocked him away but Lockdown used that to his advantage so that he could move behind an outcrop of rock for cover.

"You're angry, Soundwave," Lockdown sneered. "What could have possibly have happened to make you so angry?" Poking his head, Lockdown's question was answered by a few laser blasts that narrowly missed him. The bounty hunter chuckled, "Oh so that's it. You saw her, didn't you?" Soundwave, having transformed, scanned the area where Lockdown had taken cover, having no intention of going in after the bounty hunter. Only rookies made that move. "How'd she look? Anything like you remember?" Soundwave's helm swiveled to the left, had Lockdown moved? "Oh the years I waited while Shockwave planned and experimented," the bounty hunter chuckled, "she certainly made them bearable." Soundwave spun around but saw nothing; he could have sworn Lockdown's voice had come from there. "Not that she'd be able to tell you what happened, not after what Shockwave did to her processor, but she was a fun little toy."

Soundwave's frame started and he turned quickly, but Lockdown was already behind him and the bigger mech grabbed the telepath by the wings and threw him to the ground. Lockdown stamped a foot down in the middle of Soundwave's back, pinning the seeker down. "it would be a shame to let a mech of your talents go to waste, Soundwave, perhaps Shockwave will give you to me as part of my fee. A little sidekick like you is exactly what I need tagging along with me on my hunts." Lockdown leveled his cannon at one leg, "But first, I'll have to tame you a little bit." Soundwave thrashed, his servos digging into the dirt as he tried to find some leverage, "Oh don't worry, I won't completely break your processor, that would make you next to useless like Sparknight is. All she's good for is a spark charge."

During the one second it took for Lockdown's cannon to charge, Soundwave deployed his cables. Two of them wrapped around the bounty hunter's lower arm and jerked it to the side, the cannon blast harmlessly discharging into the ground, the other two cables secured a hold on the leg that pinned down the seeker and hard pull yanked Lockdown off his peds. Keeping his hold on dark gray mech, Soundwave hauled Lockdown this way and that, so that one arm was being pulled across his chest and the leg joint was bent around the other, making it impossible for Lockdown to get his peds back under him. Bringing the captured bounty hunter close, Soundwave allowed himself to unleash his fury and need for justice in Sparknight's name.

The telepath sliced and punched into Lockdown's frame, grabbing ahold of the other arm and wrenching outwards until it hung by a tether. A screech of metal and Lockdown's own agonized cries sounded out over the valley, scaring off anything within hearing distance that had not already fled. His anger spent, Soundwave held Lockdown up, even though his cables could barely manage the weight of the larger mech.

"What will it be now, Soundwave?" Lockdown spat out a stream of energon, and more dribbled from his mouthpiece down his chin. The bounty hunter was a mess, but he was not about to let go. "The battle's over, but if you think you can just kill me then know that better mechs than you have tried and failed. I took precautions to protect my spark chamber long ago, not even you can breach its defenses!"

Soundwave raised his servos and took hold of Lockdown's helm, the bounty hunter snorted. "So that's it, eh? You'll rip my head off? What an unrefined way to end your enemy, but that will not kill me Soundwave. My head might be gone but I will still live!" The telepath drew Lockdown close and slid away his visor, allowing the bounty hunter to see the welded mouthpiece and burning red optics. "Wha—"

Soundwave struck, and Lockdown howled, a sound that came from the depth of his frame would have made any mech of lesser caliber than Soundwave shudder. However, to the telepath, Lockdown's screams were not enough and the seeker knew they would never be enough to erase or ease the hurt both he and Sparknight had endured.

The telepathic seeker tore through Lockdown's processor, not in the least surprised that Shockwave had not provided a means of defense against mental intrusion. The scientist only guarded those who were of use to him, once they served their purpose he disposed of them. With only the barest shred of guilt, Soundwave ripped apart Lockdown's natural mental barriers and wrecked havoc in his processor, shredding memory files as painfully as possible. He had promised, once long ago, to never use his telepathy in this way ever again Shockwave had made him in the past, but now the vow was broken and after he was down the bounty hunter would not be harming anyone ever again.

_You ridiculed those you viewed weaker than yourself, so now you will be no stronger than a sparkling. Become exactly what you sneered at, and know what it is like to be fearful and weak before others who are stronger_. _Hope that someone looks upon you in pity, or else your life will be extinguished or worse may befall you_.

Soundwave stepped back, nearly falling, as both his frame and processor were weary from the strain. He had not exercised that particular telepath ability for some time and the experience left him nearly drained. He knew the best thing for him to do would be to recharge, but that was not an option if the second part of his plan went the way he thought it would.

Looking down at Lockdown, Soundwave was not surprised to see that the bounty hunter's frame was trembling. Shaking would be a more apt term, as the dark gray mech was nearly in convulsions, his yellow optics wide in terror. His mouthpiece moved but no words came out, only small high pitched whimpers, the kind a sparkling would make when it could not sense either of its parental units around.

_It would be so easy to kill you right now,_ Soundwave thought, _but I won't. You don't deserve the easy way out, not after all you've done_.

Lockdown did not act as if he had heard him, and perhaps he had not. It might take awhile for the ringing in his processor to slow down to where he could hear others clearly.

Soundwave backed up some more, just as another ground bridge opened up and out of it strode Shockwave. The scientist had walked with a quick gait but came to a surprised stop, no doubt beyond shocked that he was not where he had thought he had programmed the portal to open. The seeker would have smirked, if Shockwave had not welded his mouthpiece shut all those years ago, so instead Soundwave held himself up with pride. A hard thing to do when all his frame wanted to was to recharge, but not yet, the battle was not over yet, the enemy had not been fully destroyed. Soundwave had to hold on, just a little while longer.

Shockwave stared at the fallen Lockdown and then at the silent Soundwave, his single red optic never moving as he took in the situation. "A logical ending, Soundwave," Shockwave said at last. "You were the first of my experiments who lived, the only one with the telepathic enhancements who remained sane, it is fitting and logical that you are the last one standing and that we should meet like this. It is over, Soundwave, you fought well, but surely you must see how illogical it would be to oppose me. You were never in my class, and you do not stand a chance now in overpowering me, the odds are not in your favor. Your options are these: submit to my control once again and all your troubles will go away, or be destroyed. What will you choose?"

The only movement Soundwave made was to tilt his helm, as if he was looking at something behind the scientist. Without looking away from the seeker, Shockwave sent out his scanner to check behind him and realize that the ground bridge was still open, and someone was coming through. Shockwave quickly moved sideways, trying to keep both Soundwave and the ground bridge in view without making it look like he was retreating. It was illogical to give ground any more than he already had, after all.

Megatron quickly came through the bridge, his cannon primed and ready to blast. The Decepticon warlord hardly looked surprised at seeing Soundwave, and he gave an approved nod at Lockdown's quivering frame before turning his attention to Shockwave.

"Yet another of your plans that did not go right, Shockwave?" Megatron taunted. "I hardly think you plotted the ground bridge to bring you to the middle of nowhere, which means Soundwave hacked your computer terminal and rerouted the ground bridge controls to his liking, making sure the portal would stay open long enough for me to follow. And you threw your hostage away, hardly a smart move of your part, but then you did think you were getting away I suppose. Foolish of you to rule out Soundwave showing up, but then that is why you will fail, for when you discount mechs like Soundwave and undervalue them you will always be taken by surprise when they outwit you. Well done, Soundwave." The telepath nodded his helm, optics staying on Shockwave while his processor continued to resist the urge to slip into recharge. "Sparknight is with Bumblebee, they are both safe." Soundwave nodded again, the tightness around his spark lightening in relief, now all that remained was Shockwave.

Shockwave now glanced at Megatron and then Soundwave, carefully assessing the telepath before looking at the warlord. "So, you would brawl like commoners instead of searching for an agreement to be made? This is how all the violence will end, with one broken down and the other limping off to survive a few more years? You must see that my way is the only way peace can reign supreme, Megatron! Without my code controlling everyone there will continue to be war and suffering across the whole galaxy! Today's battle was not as gruesome as some you have fought in the past, and it will be nothing to ones yet to come. Space is filled with sentient races who will not get along if left to their own devices, they must be controlled! Only I can give them order, only I can bring logic and erase the emotions that cause havoc! The humans will live longer lives, as will any other organic creatures! Under me fighting will end, and future generations will know nothing but peace!"

"Under you," Megatron said scornfully, "there will be no future generations. There will be no future, no change, no adventure that life offers to those who possess free will. For that is what you would take from them, their free wills, their right to choose how to live, their right to govern themselves. Yes, wars will continue, mistakes will be made, but by making sure we know our history, that the humans know their history, mistakes can be countered, lessons can be learned and while fighting may never cease in my lifetime I will continue to protect those who come to me for aid. Those who are stamped on by stronger opponents I will help. I was an ambitious amateur when I started the rebellion, but now I know, I have learned, what life is all about and how it should be respected. You will never understand, Shockwave. You say you have no emotions but I think it is hate that fueled you to this madness, and now you are so set in your ways that you will never have a place in society. You would respect anyone, only crush them until they obeyed you or offlined. Yes, this day must end with one of having fallen, for there is no other alternative. You would not accept anything else but a full control over this planet and power over each of us, and I would no more surrender my own free will than that of others that is clearly not mine to give. So make your move, Shockwave, let this particular battle draw to a close."

If Shockwave had had a mouthpiece he would have sneered at Megatron's speech, if he had had emotions he would have thought about at least mentally sneering, but all he could be was disappointed. His logic had failed to win over Megatron, and so that mighty warrior would have to fall and then the scientist would take Soundwave and take the seeker apart once more. Having logically worked out a battle plan, Shockwave raised his cannon and fired at Soundwave.

The seeker tried to jump aside but he was too slow, his weary processor barely having enough time to realize he had been fired upon and move out of the way. The blast caught Soundwave in the side, sending him spinning to the ground. Megatron opened fire on Shockwave, moving to stand in front of Soundwave so as to prevent the seeker being shot at again. Firing a barrage, Megatron took satisfaction in seeing the blasts from his cannon pound into Shockwave yet he knew the miner frame the scientist had retained was built solidly and could take a fair beating.

_So I will have to give him an unfair beating_, Megatron quipped.

Rushing forward, Megatron continued to fire while he drew his sword. Nearing Shockwave, Megatron slashed at the bulkier mech with all his might but he might as well have been using a feather for all the good it did him. Megatron's sword had little effect, only scratching the heavy armor but going no further. Shockwave did not take the attacking sword lying down, he grabbed the blade with both hands. Briefly exposing his back, Shockwave broke the blade and allowed the tiny splinters to fall to the ground, the larger piece he twisted in one servo as he turned around and buried it in Megatron's shoulder joint.

The Decepticon warlord hissed through his denta, bringing his cannon right up against Shockwave's midsection and firing. Hearing the scientist grunt in pain was almost worth getting stabbed. The two titans grappled with one another, arms straining to overthrow the other but while Shockwave had the greater strength Megatron dug his peds into the ground and used that as a means of leverage to keep the scientist from pushing him down. Thus the two might have stayed had not Soundwave, recovering slightly from the shot, circled around the combatants and jumped Shockwave from behind.

The seeker used his cables and legs to secure a hold on the bigger mech, then he transformed his servos into blasters and started firing away at Shockwave's neck joints. The scientist gave only grunts as a sign that the blasts were hitting and making some damage, but due to the absence of cries of pain Megatron suspected that Shockwave had eliminated the pain receptors in his frame so that he would never be able to feel anything. Using Shockwave's momentary distraction, Megatron shifted his weight to one leg in order to bring the other up in a swift kick that landed with the tip of the warlord's ped hitting Shockwave right between his leg joints. The move would have been crippling to a human, but had no such effect on a Cybertronian and Megatron had known that. The move did serve to have Shockwave's hold on him lessen enough for the Decepticon leader to move out of his grasp, however Shockwave merely used Megatron's retreat as a means to an end. He leveled his cannon at the Deception warlord and fired, causing Megatron to have to duck and roll away from the blast.

This gave Shockwave enough time to deal with Soundwave. Bending his arms to reach behind him, Shockwave grabbed Soundwave and pulled the seeker off of him, causing his cables to break as the telepath had tried to hold on but failed to the scientist's superior strength. The bigger threw his former slave to the ground, kicking Soundwave in the gaping wound where Shockwave had shot him, causing the slight seeker to curl up in pain.

"Fools," Shockwave said, looking down at the curled up seeker, "only now do you understand that you cannot defeat logic."

"We're weren't trying to," Shockwave looked up to see that Megatron had leveled his cannon at him. "We're defeating you."

Megatron opened fire, the blast hitting Shockwave right in the optic and forcing the scientist's helm to snap back. Smoke rose from the smashed optic and broken wires gave off an electric shock. Megatron continued to fire though, each blast either hitting Shockwave square in the front of his helm or hitting just below in his neck joints, which had already been attacked by Soundwave. Shockwave took a step back with each hit, the force of Megatron's cannon enough to keep him from recovering and fighting back. Losing the sight from his optic greatly crippled the scientist as well, and he had to rely on his scanners to pinpoint where Megatron was.

Shockwave raised his cannon, even though he was still being sent backwards from Megatron's assault, and tried to aim for the Decepticon warlord but Megatron beat him to the trigger. A final blast hit Shockwave's helm, tearing it off the neck joints and it dangled down the scientist's back and yet he still tried to fire at Megatron. The Decepticon fired just a hair faster than Shockwave, and the blast from his cannon met the scientist's just before it could fully leave the cannon. The resounding explosion blew part of Shockwave's arm off and he reeled back.

The scientist tried to use his scanners in order to walk and he turned, his processor still functioning, if barely, and he began to run. Megatron let Shockwave get a few paces before he transformed halfway and flew after the scientist, grabbing him underneath the armpits and taking him up into the atmosphere. Shockwave weakly thrashed in Megatron's hold but after they had climbed upwards a considerable distance he ceased, knowing being dropped from this height could be damaging.

Megatron had no real fixed plan until he saw shuttle refuel station in Earth's orbit and he veered towards it. Once in range, Megatron hurled Shockwave's frame at the station, and once it was close enough to one of the fuel tanks Megatron fired. The shot sped past Shockwave and struck the tank, causing an explosion that engulfed the whole station as well as the scientist.

Megatron circled the wreckage, watching the debris fall down into the atmosphere. He quickly identified pieces of Shockwave and flew in, blasting them to even smaller pieces if not smithereens before he allowed himself to return to he Sahara.

Soundwave had not moved from his fetal position and Megatron quickly knelt beside his third-in-command to assess the damage. A quick scan showed that Soundwave had slipped into stasis and the Decepticon warlord gathered the seeker in his arms. "Megatron to Autobot base, I require a ground bridge."

It took a few seconds, most likely the person on the other needing time to pinpoint his location, but a ground bridge opened up and Megatron walked through. The portal closed and all became quiet, the animals and insects were still far away, not likely to come back to the area for some time until they were sure the disturbance was over. The only thing that moved was Lockdown, his frame still shaking and his optics unfocused and frightened.

**AN: So, about two or three chapters left and then this story will be done. Please review and let me know what you think. **

**Hug Vote:**

**Bumblebee – 25**

**Starscream – 17**

**Soundwave – 11**

**Megatron – 10**

**Miko – 9**

**Raf – 6**

**Mckeown –6**

**Orion – 6**

**Knockout – 4**

**Dreadwing – 4**

**Blurr - 4**

**Bulkhead – 4**

**Roberto Esquivel(Raf's dad) – 3**

**Arcee – 3**

**Ratchet – 3**

**Sunstreaker – 3**

**Sideswipe – 3**

**Vehicons – 3**

**Wheeljack – 3**

**Jack – 2**

**Laserbeak – 2**

**Miko's parents – 1**

**Other humans who died throughout this story - 1**

**Favorite character vote:**

**Bumblebee – 10**

**Megatron – 8**

**Soundwave – 7**

**Knockout – 5**

**Blurr – 2**

**Arcee – 1**

**Wheeljack – 1**

**Starscream – 1**

**Orion Prime – 1**

**Silas – 1**

**The Twins -1**

**Faction vote:**

**Decepticons – 28**

**Autobots - 11**


	54. Aftermath

**AN: Remember to get your final votes in. I think there might be just one last chapter; it depends on how things go as I write it, so if you haven't voted or you want to give more hugs you need to do so now. I do not think I will do a sequel, maybe some short stories that can tag along with events in this story, we will see. **

**64: I know the battle was long, but you got to admit that was a lot of necessary action that needed to take place. Shockwave is not 'mostly dead', he is all dead. Ain't no come-back for Shockwave, he's history. I'm sorry I have a habit of killing off your favorite characters, so hopefully this chapter will help make you feel better. **

**SunnySides: You read my story in three hours? Wow! You've got commitment. Thanks for the review and welcome. Also, favorite character votes are only for the characters I bring up in this story, otherwise that would be a lot of people to keep track of. Sadly, all good things must come to an end, and it's time for this story to wrap up. **

**Chapter Summary: A time for healing**

{Autobot base – Medical Bay}

The medical bay was full when Megatron entered it, carrying Soundwave in his arms. Scrap that, the medical bay was jammed and there were no free berths anywhere to be found. The Autobot medical bay was much smaller than the one on the Decepticons', having only been built with a small population in mind and not the score of mechs that occupied the base now.

Finding a place on the floor next to the nearest berth, Megatron gently put Soundwave down and then straightened up. He surveyed the wounded, taking note of which mechs were on the berths and their injuries. The majority of them being Autobots did not escape his notice and his optics briefly went to the closed room where Orion was, wondering if the processor deletion was at a point where they could risk waking him. Megatron shook his helm, better not try it until he could get a word with Knockout and by the looks of things his medic was very busy. So was Ratchet, the two bent over the frames of the Twins and working quickly.

Megatron cocked his helm to the side when he saw the cable connecting the two spark chambers together. He had heard that the Twins had a split spark, a rare occurrence, and if the damage to the their frames was as extensive beyond what he could see then connecting the two fragments was perhaps the best option. Uniting the pieces of the spark would ensure a stronger connection between the Twins and keep both of them from slipping away into the Well of Sparks, since neither of Sideswipe or Sunstreaker would want to see the other go without fighting with all their worth.

The next two berths were occupied by the Vehicons who had taken quite a beating, their fellow comrades tending to their wounds. Arcee lay on the last berth, her optics shuttered and various wires connected to her frame. Dreadwing hovered near her, optic ridges narrowed in contemplation and…was that worry? Megatron resolved to keep a better optic on his second-in-command, but for now he would not ask what was going on, there were too many other important things to do.

Like where Sparknight had been put. The femme had been in a stupor when Shockwave had been holding her, a resigned, vacant look on her faceplate that spoke more than anything else how she had given up on ever being free. The light framed seeker was so different from when Megatron had last seen her that he was not sure Sparknight could ever recover from the unspeakable abuse and trauma she had endured. Time would tell and the Decepticon warlord was certainly not going to deny anything being done that could help, but the reality of the situation was one he was sure he could accept better than Soundwave would be able to.

"My lord?" Megatron turned to see Knockout approaching him, a Vehicon had taken the medic's place at Sunstreaker.

"How are they?"

"At this stage I do not know, Lord Megatron. If things continue to improve they will live, if either one should decline than they will both die."

"And Arcee?" Megatron turned to look at the biker.

"She will live. Most of her wounds are superficial, just cut energon lines but Arachnid did deliver one blow that will take a little while to heal. Still, she is out of danger."

"Good. Have Dreadwing take her to her quarters then and Soundwave can take her place on the medical berth."

That was when Knockout noticed the telepath's position on the floor and he quickly nodded. Dreadwing took up Arcee and carried her out of the medical bay and Megatron placed Soundwave on the berth. Knockout got to work, bringing Megatron up to speed while he ran his diagnostic.

"Wheeljack and a few Vehicons are working in the training room, that's where we had the humans taken. He's examining the pods that the humans were attached in and thinks he can disconnect them without killing the humans. The three children are in there as well, I believe Raf is eager to find his father but so far he has not been identified yet." Megatron nodded, cataloging that away to be dealt with later. "He took a beating I see."

"Mostly from Shockwave I believe," Megatron said. "I have already dispatched Vehicons to retrieve the pieces of his cables that Shockwave broke off, perhaps they can be reattached."

"What became of Shockwave?" Knockout asked, getting to work on the hole in Soundwave's chassis.

"We will not be seeing him again, as I doubt there is anything left of him to be seen let alone scanned." Knockout looked up at Megatron, his optics calculating before returning to Soundwave, "And Lockdown?"

Megatron grinned, and it was not nice to see at all, "What's left of him is being escorted to a cell, I will let Soundwave decide what to do with him." The Decepticon warlord looked around the medical bay once more, "Where is Sparknight?"

Knockout sighed, "When Bumblebee brought her through the portal she went volatile. She thrashed and broke out of Bumblebee's hold but was thankfully tackled by a few Vehicons before she could do any damage to the base of herself. We cleared out a room and locked her in it, I'm hoping by the time I'm done here she will have calmed down enough to at least scan if not treat."

Megatron nodded, "How is the medical bay holding out? Do you require anything?"

"This place was not mot meant to service so many," Knockout said grimly. "All necessary parts are being used for the Twins, out of everyone they have the worst of the damage but there are some Vehicons I was only able to patch up and some I haven't even treated yet because I either have not been able to get to them yet or don't have the parts. You ask what I need? I need a full staffed medical bay, if that's not attainable then I need anything that can be salvaged from the _Nemesis_ to aid in repairing everyone I can."

"I sent out scouts to find the _Nemesis_ before we left for Shockwave's lair, have they not yet returned or reported in?" Knockout shook his helm, "Very well. Continue to do what you can, I will take Bumblebee and—" The Decepticon leader's helm snapped up, looking around the medical bay once again, "Where is Bumblebee? Is he guarding Sparknight?"

"No," Knockout answered. "I posted two Vehicons to keep an optic on her, I have not seen Bumblebee since he brought Sparknight in."

"I will find him."

"Before you do let me look at your shoulder, my lord." Megatron stopped and glanced at his shoulder, realizing that the broken piece from his blade was still wedged between the armor plates and a thin trail of energon had made its way down his chassis.

"It will keep for now, continue treating those who are in more need than I."

"Lord Megatron!" Knockout protested, and then he huffed as the warlord ignored him and continued walking out of the medical bay.

{Autobot base – Sparknight's quarters}

She paced, spinning around quickly and taking a fighting stance. Just as quickly though, Sparknight crumpled and scrambled back until her back was pressed against the wall and she drew her knees up her chest plate, wrapping her arms around them. She did not know this room, she did not know any of the mechs she had seen and none of that was comforting.

Sparknight had gotten use to Shockwave's lair, vaguely taking note of things but mostly just aware of anyone who came near her. Even though any encounter with Shockwave and Lockdown was likely to elicit pain, Sparknight knew them, she knew what to expect and how to act. However, everything was different here, which must mean that the rules were different, and who knows what could be used against her. She had seen quite a few mechs, the sheer number of which had overwhelmed her when the small yellow and black bot had pulled her through the ground bridge and suddenly everything had been strange and too much.

She barely remembered what had happened after that, knowing she had panicked and Shockwave never liked it when she did that. When she had finally become aware again she was in this room, alone, and most likely awaiting punishment. Would Lockdown be the one who did it?

She shivered and ducked her helm down, bringing her arms up to shield herself. The waiting part was the hardest, not knowing how long she would have to go without recharge or fuel was usually very effective in getting her to panic. Shockwave had not liked it when she panicked, but Lockdown had enjoyed it yet the reasons why escaped her for the present.

Her processor was threatening to blackout again, and she saw no reason not to fight it. Conscious or not, what did it matter? These strange mechs were going to do whatever they wanted, and she was too weak to stop them.

{Autobot base – on top}

"Here you are," Megatron said, as he stepped off the elevator pad. "I was wondering where you had vanished to. No one could knew where you had gone, not exactly a good time to vanish, little scout."

Bumblebee said nothing, continuing to look up at the sky and Megatron stepped up beside him. He turned his faceplate upwards, not needing to ask what the scout was doing, "Can you see him?"

"No," Bumblebee whispered, "but then I didn't expect to."

"Given his trajectory and when he was put up there I would wager to say he's somewhere over the Asian continent by now." Bumblebee nodded but was silent, Megatron sighed internally as he could see he had to give yet another 'pep' talk. "You made the right choice, little scout. I know it was not an easy decision to make, that killing him would probably have been the more merciful thing to do but pulling the trigger was not the choice you should have made." Bumblebee looked at him sideways, his blue optics open and Megatron knew the scout was attentive to what he was saying, "Killing him would have been satisfying, yes, but only for a moment, and then you would have remembered the human blood you spilled. What MECH made you do, that you are not guilty of, that was against your will, those humans who died are on MECHs' hands, not yours. But killing Silas, that you would have done of your own free will and I know, Bumblebee, that it would haunt you. You would forget the degradations that man did to you, forget the shame and innocent lives lost, and only remember as you last saw him. His body broken, the blood flowing from his wounds, the pain in his eyes. That is what you would remember, and that is what would make you regret killing him." Megatron glanced back up at the sky, "The choice you did make was the right one. Having his injuries treated and then locking him up in that shuttle, pitching it into Earth's atmosphere." The Decepticon warlord looked at Bumblebee, reaching out a servo to place it on the smaller mech's shoulder, "Up there he will see Earth, every single day, but have no way of returning. He has plenty of provisions to see him through the remainder of his lifetime, the only thing he will suffer from is the loneliness."

"I condemned him to a shadow existence. Humans are social creatures, he will go mad and most likely kill himself before the year is out."

Megatron shook his helm, "Silas will last longer than that, he will make it his mission to do so. But if he does take his own life then that will be on his head, not yours. He has everything he needs up there to survive, if he needs to keep his mind from going crazy I have no doubt he has the ingenuity to do so, but bear in mind that he was already slightly mad to begin with." Seeing the look on Bumblebee's faceplate the warlord sighed externally this time, "However, should you ever feel too sorry for Silas you have only to call the shuttle down and release him."

Bumblebee exhaled, allowing the cool evening air to flow through him before he looked up at Megatron, "Let him float around a bit up there and think his situation over. Perhaps a few months or a year of solitary confinement will make him appreciate his race a bit." The scout rolled his shoulder joints, flapping his door wings, "Who knows, he may even act quite civil when I give him a call."

_Ever the Autobot_, Megatron thought with a grin, a much nicer version than the one he had flashed at Knockout down in the medical bay. "Come, we have to check in with the Vehicons I sent out looking for the _Nemesis_. Knockout and Ratchet are in need of supplies."

"And you want to take me along? Am I to always be expected to follow you about now?"

"It's the only way I can keep an optic on you, little scout," Megatron turned for the elevator pad. "Besides, this way you'll at least have something to do and won't have time to mope."

"I was not moping," Bumblebee insisted, as he stepped onto the elevator pad beside Megatron.

"If you say so, little scout."

The elevator pad descended into the base and Bumblebee twiddled his thumb joints. "Out with it, little scout."

"Is it over?"

Megatron smiled, a servo finding Bumblebee's shoulder plate and pulling him close, "Yes, Bumblebee, it's all over. Shockwave has been reduced to little pieces, Lockdown is in a cell and from the looks of things seems to have suffered a full processor hack from Soundwave, and Silas is trapped in a shuttle in Earth's orbit. It's all over."

Bumblebee shifted, "Then what happens now? You and Orion prime formed an alliance because of Shockwave, now that he's no more there's no longer a reason to stay allies is there?"

Megatron pondered that before answering, "First we get the injured fixed and then we take it from there. The Decepticons are currently without a home; at least one that is operational as I am not sure what state the _Nemesis_ is actually in. The majority of the Autobots are recovering from the battle, and they are also without a leader as Orion has not finished the deletion process yet. I do not know what will happen with this alliance, Bumblebee, but I can tell you that I want it to continue. We have no common enemy to unite us anymore, that is true, but perhaps we may build a new alliance on stronger bonds that will be more lasting. The humans have a fascination about tomorrow, they are always talking about the hope it may bring while others say 'live for today' and 'wait and see what tomorrow brings'. So that is what we will do, little scout, we will wait and see what tomorrow brings. Until tomorrow dawns, we will continue doing as we are doing now, working together and making sure that everyone's hurts are attended to."

**Hug Vote:**

**Bumblebee – 25**

**Starscream – 17**

**Soundwave – 11**

**Megatron – 11**

**Miko – 9**

**Raf – 6**

**Mckeown –6**

**Orion – 6**

**Knockout – 4**

**Dreadwing – 4**

**Blurr - 4**

**Bulkhead – 4**

**Roberto Esquivel(Raf's dad) – 3**

**Arcee – 3**

**Ratchet – 3**

**Sunstreaker – 3**

**Sideswipe – 3**

**Vehicons – 3**

**Wheeljack – 3**

**Jack – 2**

**Laserbeak – 2**

**Miko's parents – 1**

**Other humans who died throughout this story - 1**

**Favorite character vote:**

**Bumblebee – 10**

**Megatron – 8**

**Soundwave – 7**

**Knockout – 5**

**Blurr – 2**

**Arcee – 1**

**Wheeljack – 1**

**Starscream – 1**

**Orion Prime – 1**

**Silas – 1**

**The Twins -1**

**Faction vote:**

**Decepticons – 28**

**Autobots - 11**


	55. Peace

**AN: I have decided that I will do Outtakes of this story, but they will be pieces that you guys ask for. So, if there is anything mentioned throughout this story that you wish was given more detail or shown, mention it in a review or send me a PM and I'll get around to writing an outtake on it. **

**Hug vote: Bumblebee won first place, Starscream placed second, and Soundwave was third. **

**Favorite character vote: Bumblebee won first place, Megatron won second, and Soundwave was third. **

**Faction vote: Decepticons won with 29 votes!**

**Check the bottom of the chapter to see the final voting tallies. Thanks to everyone who participated, it sure was a lot of fun and I hope you guys enjoyed it too. **

**64: We'll see, my friend, we'll see. Thanks for sticking with me. And that's ok, we all do silly things from time to time. **

**Chapter Summary: Megatron gives Orion a summary**

{Autobot Base – Medical Bay – 1 week later}

"Orion?" The voice filtered through his audios, sounding familiar but distant. "Orion?" This time the voice was closer, he was sure of it, and with it feelings of being safe, protected and wanted came to him as well. A faceplate flashed up from his memory files, someone he knew and with whom he had formed a bond stronger than any metal. Yet he had hurt him, and been hurt in return, but the pain of that was outweighed by the need to reconcile and make peace.

"Brother?" Orion unshuttered his optics warily, daring to hope that the nightmare was over and everything was how it was supposed to be. The memory files that had once been chaotic were now ordered but also compressed, and he realized that he could barely recall the lonely years spent trapped within his processor, nor could he remember the gory battles that the council's pet prime had taken place in, only the beginnings and endings of them.

"Yes, it is I," Megatron smiled down at Orion, offering a servo to help the other bot sit up. "Knockout finished the deletion process an hour ago, and then we let you recharge in order for everything to sort out. How are you feeling?"

Orion processed the question before answering, reaching up with a servo to touch his helm, "It's quiet." Megatron tilted his helm at him, his red optics understanding but Orion felt the need to explain anyway, "Before, there was so much going on, so many voices messing around in my processor and I wanted to tell you what was happening but—"

"But Optimus and the shadow imprints of the council told you not to." Megatron sighed, "It was not just you at fault, Orion, I should have set apart the time to have you fully evaluated. I should have seen what was happening and not written off your sudden pacifism as only a result from your exile in your processor, and trying to sort out all the things Optimus had done. I should have taken better care of you, yet I allowed other matters to take precedence. I was no more the brother or friend I should have been, and, well frag it, Orion, say something so I can stop spouting this sentimental hyperbole!"

Orion smiled sadly, "You are my friend, and you are my brother, and your actions saved me. I tried to sort it out on my own so that I would not be a burden to you, because I knew you needed me to lead the Autobots and there was so much to do. Defeat Shockwave and Lockdown–" Orion stopped, "How much time has passed? What have I missed?"

"It has been a week since Knockout began the deletion process, and we did fight Shockwave, Lockdown and Arachnid while you were under. Arachnid and Shockwave are dead, and Soundwave, after he recovered from his injuries somewhat, put Lockdown in the bounty hunter's ship and sent it into space." Seeing Orion's perplexed gaze, Megatron felt indulgent enough to explain, "You do remember that Soundwave is telepathic, correct? Well, Soundwave, using great ingenuity and foresight, used the ground bridge to grab Lockdown after the bounty hunter was about to finish off the Twins. Soundwave unleashed the full power of his telepathic abilities on Lockdown, something he has not done since the days when Shockwave controlled him. The reason is that those who suffer a full mental intrusion are rendered to the state of incapacity. Lockdown can see and feel, but he cannot speak, or hold together two consecutive thoughts, let alone defend himself. Soundwave set him adrift in his ship, leaving his fate up to anyone who should find the bounty hunter."

"Who killed Shockwave?" Megatron did not answer verbally, but the look in his optics was enough. Orion nodded, "I am not glad to see a life lost, you know that fighting was the last resort I wanted to take back on Cybertron, and I find that I will always try to reason first before drawing the sword. Yet I am glad it is over, and that they have each met an end from which they cannot return. What were the casualties?"

"Come and see," Megatron said, and Orion stood up to follow him.

They exited the room, walking into the medical bay and Orion stopped, his blue optics gazing sadly at the two medical berths before him. The Twins lay on their backs, life support and a spark connector in place, the shutters of their optics flickered but never fully opened. Monitoring them was Starscream, much to Orion's surprise, the seeker had his arms crossed over his chassis and was watching the screens for both berths with acute attentiveness. The former Decepticon second-in-command had his shoulder joints slightly hunched, as if he expected a blow and even though his optics were fixed on the screen Starscream's frame was tense, making Orion think that the seeker was very aware of what was going on around him.

Megatron led Orion away from the berths, "They will live, but their recovery will be slow. Had Soundwave not grabbed Lockdown, or Ratchet been a little slower in getting to them neither Sideswipe nor Sunstreaker would have made it. There were several times during the first couple days when one of them almost crashed but Knockout believes the spark connector was able to keep them stabilizing each other."

"And Starscream?"

"Recovering." Megatron glanced back at the gray seeker with regret in his optics, "He started making great strides in recuperating after Knockout convinced him to listen to some classical music. He now keeps it continually playing in his audios, as it seems to be the only thing that soothes him and keeps him from jumping whenever someone approaches him."

Soundwave was sitting on a berth near the door, working on a pad, and the telepath glanced up briefly to look at them before returning to his work. "Soundwave is here under protest, as both Knockout and I ordered him to return here for rest and to be kept under observation after each of his mental healing sessions with Sparknight?"

"Sparknight?"

"Ah yes, you would not know about her. Well there is quite a bit of history there so I will give you the quick run through version. Sparknight is a friend of Soundwave's, who he thought was killed by Lockdown but who was actually given to Shockwave to experiment on. The scientist kept her all these years, why I am not exactly sure but in any case that is irrelevant now. Her processor is seriously warped due to the experiments. From the looks of things Shockwave tried to make her telepathic like Soundwave but ended up breaking her instead. Soundwave believes he can fix the damage but it will take time and many sessions where he enters her processor, and that is why Knockout and I thought it best that after each time he emerges from her mind he will come here. The processor is a delicate instrument, Orion, as you well know, so while there is a chance Sparknight can recover I will allow the treatments but I do not want to lose my third-in-command in the process."

They walked out of the medical bay and Orion followed Megatron's lead towards the hub of the base. "The _Nemesis_ was found, and at a good time too as Knockout and Ratchet were in great need of medical supplies. The ship is being guarded and repaired by Vehicons, Dreadwing is overseeing things for the moment and Arcee is with him. It appears the two of them formed a bond when they faced Arachnid, though at this point I am not sure how deep it is or where it will lead them."

At that point Knockout and Ratchet walked past the two leaders, barely acknowledging the two as they did. Their hands were full of pads and they were arguing between each other about the dimensions of the medical bay. "Knockout wants to make improvements to your medical bay and Ratchet it receptive to the idea, now if they could only agree on what needs to be done and how it should be done the process could begin." Megatron smirked at Orion as they arrived at the hub, and the Autobot leader was once again surprised.

The children were in the human designated spot, but they were not the only organics there. Gathered around the youngest boy, Raf, was his family and they were all looking at Bumblebee, who was animatedly telling them about one of his and Raf's more 'safer' adventures. Megatron led Orion over and the yellow and black scout paused in his story telling.

"Mr. and Mrs. Esquivel, may I introduce Orion Prime? He is the leader of the Autobots and has newly wakened up after a long healing process." The new humans nodded politely though they did seem overwhelmed at his size.

"I'm glad to see you up again Prime," Jack said, his arm around Miko, who flashed a sincere but sad smile at the blue and red Autobot.

"I am glad to be up as well, Jack Darby."

Megatron tugged surreptitiously on Orion's arm and they moved away from the humans and towards the elevator shaft. "Mrs. Darby died on the _Nemesis_, Orion, young Jack took her death hard but he is recovering and I believe he and Miko Nakadai may be forming an attachment, although it could just be their mutual grief that has brought them together for now." Orion was silent, remembering June Darby and mourning her loss, he could not even imagine how hard Jack must have had it. Losing a parent amidst such chaos and having virtually no room to mourn in peace could not have been easy for the young human.

"I am glad Rafael's father was found." Was all he said and Megatron nodded, hitting the elevator control, his optics darkening.

"Yes, though Shockwave did not make rescuing him and the other human captives easy. He used them for an experiment, melding organic tissue with Cybertronian technology so that all the humans' needs would be cared for and they would be easily controlled by him. He wanted to enslave the planet like that, killing off the 'weak' who would not survive the process and then only using the strongest. Separating the humans from the pods Shockwave had crafted was given to Wheeljack, as his expertise with explosives proved him to be the best qualified in extracting the humans without setting off anything that would kill them. Those humans were returned to their homes, and on that subject we have much to discuss Orion, but first follow me."

Megatron led Orion out of the elevator and across the top to where the mound of Cliffjumper had been put. Orion was saddened to see that there were three more mounds of small rocks. One was for Blurr, the blue toy car of his alt mode rested on the top of his mound. The second one was for the fallen Vehicons, various pieces of their frames making up part of the memorial. The third made Orion's spark twist in pain, for the chin guard piece was unmistakable and he knew Bulkhead had fallen.

Walking away from Megatron, Orion stood before the green bot's memorial and silently thought through the memories he had of Bulkhead. "What of Miko Nakadai? She is not yet of age, but now has no guardians nor a protector. What has been done to ensure her safety and care?"

Megatron made a sound that was halfway between a cough and a growl, "A very interesting thing happened on that score. Soundwave has petitioned to be her guardian and protector. The human government of this country wanted to debate the issue, but since Miko is a Japanese citizen it was turned over to that country for a decision. We expect to hear their answer soon."

Orion turned to Megatron, "Soundwave petitioned for guardianship? Are you saying the world knows about us now?"

"Oh yes, Orion," Megatron said, his tone hard to decipher on whether he was amused or annoyed, "we are 'out', so to speak. After Shockwave's very public attack on Japan, the sightings in Germany, not to mention the battle we had in Russia, it was nigh impossible to hush everything up. Your liaison to the U.S., Agent Fowler, was not pleased and came down here in quite a state." The Decepticon warlord smiled, showing his razor sharp denta, "It was quite amusing to watch him sputter about when he saw me and that the base was full of Decepticons. It was an interesting conversation, mostly handled by myself while he listened, although I could barely refrain from laughing at his comical appearance. Is it really normal for humans to get so puffy cheeked and red when they are flustered?"

The light mood spiraled down again as Orion looked back at the mounds. Silence reigned for a little while, as the Autobot leader came to grips with the lives lost and destroyed, the damage done and things changed far beyond what they had been. It was a lot to sort through but he finally turned and rejoined Megatron.

"What happens now? The U.S. government was adamant on keeping us a secret from even their own people, now we are known. Is the base's location still a secret?"

Megatron chuckled, "Hardly. Look down the other side, but do so carefully."

Orion obeyed, carefully poking his head over the side, just enough to see the cars parked at the bottom and the people standing around with cameras ready. He quickly ducked out of sight. "What are they waiting for?"

"Those are the brave ones, or the foolhardy. They wait to catch a sign of us; they take a few photos and then publish them all over the internet. The other humans who had been captured by Shockwave were returned to their homes and most of them have been assigned to a doctor but otherwise left alone. Only in this country have those that were taken been hospitalized in mental institutes. They would have taken Raf's father but we fought them on that, as well as having the entire Esquivel family moved here for the time being. Once I am sure that the government will not touch them they will be allowed to go home. The humans have suffered enough from Shockwave without needing their own governments poking at them too." Judging by the look on Megatron's faceplate Orion could only guess at the arguments that had gone back and forth between him and the human politicians. "This country has turned less than hospitable towards us now, I would not be surprised if they were to ask us to leave soon."

"Where would we go?" Orion asked. "The _Nemesis_ is not flight worthy yet, is she?"

"Not yet. And she will not be for some time; the damage to her engines cannot be fixed quickly as we do not have a shipyard available. But for now we will not worry about leaving, we have gotten requests for sanctuary from other countries anyway so that will not be an issue."

Orion pondered that a little while before looking at Megatron. "What happens now?" he repeated. "Where do we go from here? What is to become of us?"

"You speak of our alliance?" Orion nodded. "Oddly enough, Bumblebee asked me a similar question in this same spot, but I could only speak for myself at the time." Megatron drew himself up, "I am weary of battle, Orion, and so are my soldiers. We have fought hard, we have lost comrades, we have been injured. My mechs need time to heal and rebuild, and I do not see why you and I, and our two factions, cannot do so together. We have only each other on this planet, with currently no way off, a fact that does not need to be known to the humans for the time being." Megatron placed a servo on Orion's shoulder, "I would not want to fight you, brother, and I see no reason why the Autobot/Decepticon war cannot be ended. The council is dead, Cybertron lies dead in space and we are stranded. Yet, even if we had the _Nemesis_ up and running, Orion, I would not leave you behind. Once before I allowed myself to believe you had willingly betrayed me, I allowed rage to cloud my judgment and our home planet paid the price. Will it ever be restored? I hope so, but I see no reason why we cannot rebuild it together. Can Autobots and Decepticons work together and bring peace and life back to our home?"

Orion shook his helm, "No, they cannot." Megatron looked startled and the Autobot leader quickly continued, "As long as there are factions, Megatron, there will always be something that sets us apart from the other. We will look at one another and say, "he is an Autobot, she is a Decepticon". The war will be remembered and the deeds of everyone who fought and for what side they were on. If there is to be peace, then we must be one united front and not divided by the faction we are in. We will not forget, but if we are no longer separated by a faction then we will be that much closer to being reconciled with one another." Orion looked out at the horizon, his decision firming, "The Autobots were formed by the council, they gave the faction its name and purpose, but now we all know what a lie that was. Without a purpose the faction is meaningless and no longer what it was. I will dissolve the Autobots and we will no longer bear the symbol of the sleeping guardian, rather we shall take a page from Bumblebee's book and form our own identifying symbols based on ourselves."

Megatron nodded, liking the idea and knowing that it was for this side of things that really put Orion in his element. "I formed the Decepticon faction to fight against the tyranny of the council, I named it thus because we were liberating the deceived. The council is no more; the deceived have been liberated so there is no need for the Decepticons to stay together as a faction. Yes, there are still those traveling the stars from both sides who do not know of what has happened here, but we shall reach out to them and tell them. I will no longer be a warlord, but rather I will form a Cybertronian task force, and we shall guard all those who are in need of succor, be they metal or organic. I will be Lord Protector, as in the days of old Cybertron, and you will be Prime. I will handle the military side, you the politic side." Megatron raised his arm, servo open, and Orion wrapped his arm around it, putting his servo in the gray mech's grasp. "Together we will do as we originally set out to do, to make sure that Cybertronians are governed and treated fairly. It may have taken quite a few years, Orion, but your hopes and mine have now become reality. Together, as brothers, we will protect our people and bring justice to the oppressed and those who oppress them, mercy to the weak, compassion to the fearful, and might against those who would challenge us."

"As brothers." Orion vowed.

Both Megatron and Orion thought of a similar pledge they had made, nearly a thousand years ago and all that had happened between then and now. The sun set on the oath made and sworn on this organic planet, so different from when the two sworn brothers had first united, but no less ideal. Both Megatron and Orion were bathed in the red light from the sun, and looking at each other they knew that even if they were never ever to get off Earth, or ever return to Cybertron and restore it, they would always have a home for their people wherever they managed to build it.

{_Epilogue_}

The alliance was written down and the treaty signed by both the new Lord Protector and the Prime. The shaving off of the Autobot and Decepticon symbols was actually not a bad grade of energon for anyone to swallow, only the Vehicons needed the situation explained a few times before they could grasp and understand what was happening. Together the newly formed Cybertronian Outpost worked on building up the former Autobot base and fixing the _Nemesis_, time would tell if they could ever get the ship to fly again but there were many who were hopeful.

Only one mech left after the alliance was reaffirmed, and that was Wheeljack. He did not mind getting rid of his Autobot symbol but he was not going to just sit around on this dirt ball of a planet while there was still so much to see of the galaxy. Both Megatron and Orion asked him to spread word of the treaty and the location of Earth to any Autobots and Decepticons who were in need of a place to call home. The ex-Wrecker grudgingly agreed to do so and flew off, not looking back and not sparing a thought for any of those that he left behind. Or so he would have liked everyone to believe.

Life moved on, and everyone seemed to settle into the day-to-day activities that did not involve fighting or being on the lookout for an attack. That is not to imply that Megatron and Orion allowed their people to become lax in their guard, but the respite was dearly won and well deserved, and everyone took full advantage of it.

The Twins made a steady increase in their recovering, though it was several more weeks before Sideswipe came online and a few days after that so did Sunstreaker. It took a few more months before they were allowed to get up and start walking around again, their countenance greatly sobered but Bumblebee was sure they would be back to their pranking selves soon, and he plotted with Raf on how to give the Twins a new makeover once they were fully discharged from the medics' watch.

Soundwave and Sparknight had a tentative friendship build between them. For Soundwave, he had to hold himself back from making a mistake and easing Sparknight's processor towards healing its fractured walls. For her own part, Sparknight did not remember Soundwave, at least not yet, but she liked his gentle yet firm persona and how safe she felt when he brushed through her processor. She was still skittish whenever someone else came near her, but like with the Vehicons, Soundwave found a frequency he could use to soothe Sparknight and Knockout was sure her recovery was well underway.

Starscream stopped jumping at every noise, and could talk almost with anyone without shaking. Yet he never turned his back on anyone and he never returned to his former self, he continued to use classical music but not as much during his waking hours. Surprisingly, he and Bumblebee formed a friendship and the two could always be seen quietly enjoying a cup of energon together, not talking but a clear understanding between them of what the other had suffered.

Knockout caught himself grumbling once, like Ratchet, and promptly went out to race consecutively in thirteen car races before he returned to base. He had honed a lot of his medic skills, thanks to supervision from the more experienced Ratchet but the two had very different ways to approach the care of patients. It was little wonder therefore why most of the base wanted to see Knockout for their exams and not Ratchet, though that affected the white and orange mech very little as it left him more time to experiment.

Arcee and Dreadwing got a lot of ribbing, mostly from the Twins, but they never confirmed with anyone if there was more to their bond than friendship. Arcee had talked a lot with Dreadwing about Arachnid, and the history between the two femmes. That day back in Shockwave's lair was always fresh on both their processors and it felt good to talk about it just between the two of them, as Arcee knew Dreadwing would understand, and the seeker knew Arcee would not mock him for how frightened he had actually been when the spiderbot's webbing had pinned him.

Raf's family eventually moved back to their home, and were left alone, thanks to the continuous Cybertronians patrols around their house. Soundwave's guardianship for Miko was approved and the seeker built quarters for her within his own, so that she had her own private space but he would be nearby to guard her. Jack turned eighteen that summer and so did not need a guardian, but Arcee continued to be his bike and she stayed with him during the day while two Vehicons guarded his house by night.

Bumblebee found that while he was not quite the happy go lucky mech he had once been, he was doing a lot of the old things he used to do with his friends and not feeling guilty about it. Having Megatron as a sort of parental unit really helped in keeping the young bot from sinking back into his former depression or his guilt over killing the humans MECH had forced him to do. Megatron was an excellent listener when Bumblebee would come to his quarters at night and need to just talk about whatever. Sometimes he needed to recount the memory of attacking the airport, or killing that human soldier, and Megatron was the best mech in the whole base to listen to him. The larger mech would not say anything, just sit and listen, letting Bumblebee tell it in his own way, even if it was the third of fifth retelling, Megatron never showed any sign that he was irritated by it.

Once Bumblebee was done, Megatron would offer him a small cup of energon and then he would do the talking while Bumblebee listened. What Megatron had to say was never very long, but he would mention the battles he had to fight as a gladiator, and of the countless mechs he was forced to kill for others' amusement. This was a bond the two shared, and Bumblebee always left Megatron's room feeling better and the pressure around his spark significantly lightened. He would never be free of the memories, or the pain that came with them, but, as Megatron said, time will pass and with it will come acceptance and the strength to continue on.

Thus, the Autobots and Decepticons on Earth did disband, and unite under two leaders. Their troubles for now were over and the time for making friendships and healing was at hand. Who knew what tomorrow would bring? None of them did, but while they planned for the future they lived each day as it came and were thankful for the peace that had currently set around them.

When faced with the choice to unite or fall, which one will you choose?

**The End.**

**Hug Vote:**

**Bumblebee – 26**

**Starscream – 20**

**Soundwave – 13**

**Megatron – 13**

**Miko – 10**

**Orion – 8**

**Raf – 7**

**Mckeown –7**

**Knockout – 6**

**Dreadwing – 5**

**Blurr - 5**

**Bulkhead – 5**

**Roberto Esquivel(Raf's dad) – 4**

**Arcee – 4**

**Ratchet – 4**

**Sunstreaker – 4**

**Sideswipe – 4**

**Vehicons – 4**

**Wheeljack – 4**

**Jack – 4**

**Laserbeak – 3**

**Miko's parents – 2**

**Other humans who died throughout this story – 2**

**Sparknight - 2**

**Favorite character vote:**

**Bumblebee – 10**

**Megatron – 9**

**Soundwave – 8**

**Knockout – 6**

**Starscream – 3**

**Blurr – 2**

**Arcee – 1**

**Wheeljack – 1**

**Orion Prime – 1**

**Silas – 1**

**The Twins -1**

**Faction vote:**

**Decepticons – 28**

**Autobots - 11**


	56. Outtake Stories' Preview

**AN: So, I should have had this up way earlier, but it's finally here. Here's an outtake from my story that did not make it into the actual storyline. The Fan Outtakes have been published so if you guys liked this story you should check those out and you can request one-shots of things that happen after where the story left off or take place during the story. **

**This outtake takes place between chapters 38 and 39.**

Megatron walked out of the lift and onto the landing strip of the _Nemesis_, watching the amassing troops before him. Under Orion and the Autobots, the Vehicon grounders were lining up to one side, while Dreadwing was overseeing the first wave of seekers gathering on the other side. Behind both groups the reinforcement lines were steadily moving into position, ready to love forward once the first score of the assault had moved through the ground bridges.

All was ready for Megatron to give the command to Soundwave, but he hesitated for he had spotted one among the grounder units who was not supposed to be there. Stalking forward, ignoring the confused looks and Orion's vocal inquiry, the Decepticon warlord curled one servo around the black and yellow painted arm and pulled the youngling out of line, dragging him off to the side. The indignant yell was the only protest he received to his action, for Bumblebee did not bother to try to pull his arm free.

"What are you doing, little scout?" Megatron hissed.

No matter how much the warlord's tone made Bumblebee feel like a sparkling who had gotten caught snitching energon treats, the scout drew himself up and tried not to let the size difference deter him in making his case. "I _was_ getting ready with my ground unit, Lord Megatron." Seeing the red optics narrow even further, Bumblebee thought better on pushing the towering mech. "I am joining the battle."

"Absolutely not!" Megatron pulled Bumblebee closer, glaring down at him. "This is not a game, little scout, there will be casualties and there will be death. You are only just recently recovered from when that Twin shot you, I will not have you wind up in the medical bay again!"

"I can fight!" Bumblebee protested. "If that is really Shockwave's lair then you are going to need every warrior the ship can spare to go down with you!"

"But you are not a warrior," Megatron gentled his tone slightly, seeing the look of dismay in Bumblebee's blue optics. "Not yet. You are still a youngling, and you have much to learn, particularly obeying orders when they are issued to you."

"Please let me go with you." Bumblebee tried hard to keep himself from sounding like he was begging. "You are letting Blurr go, and he is no older than I am!"

"He is under Orion's authority, and therefore I have no say whether he stays or goes." Megatron's optics studied Bumblebee, "Why is it so important that you go, young one?"

Bumblebee tried to dip his helm but Megatron used his other servo to cup the scout's chin and tilt it up. "Once MECH had me under their control I could do nothing to stop them, I could not stop myself from killing whoever Silas told me to. I was glad that I did not go with you when you attacked MECH's base, because I feared facing them again and I hated myself for it. I need to go with you, I need to fight, to prove to them and to myself that I am not a weakling, that I am not what they said I was. I may not be ready to face Silas just yet, but Shockwave is the one that gave him the slave code. Do I not deserve the right to blast apart his base for the suffering he caused me, and those I care about, to go through?"

Megatron assessed him, weighing his options. "I suppose letting you come would be better than you trying to sneak along. But I have conditions, little scout, and you will abide by them or I will lock you up in the brig. One: you do not leave my side, ever. Two: You follow my orders to the letter or I will have Soundwave ground bridge you back to the _Nemesis_. Three: if Shockwave brought his human allies here with to be with him you will not engage save to protect yourself. If you see Silas you will not chase after him. Four: in the event that we become separated you are to keep your comm open and respond promptly to my messages. Understood?"

"Understood, sir."

Megatron nodded, releasing Bumblebee but when the youngling turned to rejoin the grounders he felt the Decepticon warlord's servo on his shoulder. "Where are you going?"

"To rejoin my unit?" Bumblebee asked, confused by the question. Had not Megatron said he could go?

Megatron sighed, "What was rule number one?"

"To not leave your side, ever," Bumblebee dutifully recited back. It took a second and then something clicked in his processor, "You can't mean—"

Megatron smirked, "But I do mean just that, little scout. Either you hitch a ride with me or you stay behind, the choice is yours, take it or leave it."

Not waiting to hear Bumblebee's answer, Megatron turned and took his place at the head of the seeker column. He could hear Bumblebee following, grumpily muttering, "This is beyond humiliating" behind his back. The Decepticon warlord chuckled as he transformed, letting his seeker alt mode compile and then hover in the air.

"Climb on, little scout."

Bumblebee refrained from speaking; jumping up to pull himself on top of Megatron's alt mode and secured a tight grip. He could just feel every optic on the landing strip trained on him; no doubt many of the mechs gathered were snickering at his situation. Yet Megatron was allowing him to go to the surface, and Bumblebee found that he could bear the any teasing that came his way, as long as he was able to get some of his own back in the upcoming battle.

"Soundwave, open the ground bridges."

Two green portals opened up and Megatron led the seekers through one, while the grounders followed Orion Prime through the second. The allied forces had been thwarted in getting some payback when the MECH base had been abandoned, now it was time to get Shockwave to stop playing and show him that they meant to end him. Little did they know that the scientist had sacrificed a pawn and was still one step ahead.


End file.
